The crew of a Philippine Navy vessel rendered assistance to a foreign-flagged cargo ship after it suffered an engine breakdown in the waters of the Philippines-Indonesia maritime boundary on the night (local time) of Saturday, July 25.
The Miguel Malvar-class patrol corvette BRP Magat Salamat was directed to deploy to an area 6.6 nautical miles off Davao Occidental province so that its engineers could assist in repairing the engine of the Indonesian-flagged live export carrier Gulf Livestock 1.
The cargo vessel had been undergoing sea trials near the maritime boundary when the engine broke down, causing it to drift further within Philippine territorial waters.
In the early morning of Sunday, July 26, following repairs by the navy crew, Gulf Livestock 1 was able to resume sailing under its own power and soon after headed for Marore Island in Indonesia with Magat Salamat providing escort. The two vessels later rendezvoused with an Indonesian Navy ship, which then escorted Gulf Livestock 1 to port.
A Philippine Navy official said that Gulf Livestock 1 has since resumed its sea trials and is presently en route to Australia.