The Philippine Coast Guard and various local partners have successfully rescued all passengers and crew of a ferry that ran aground and suffered water ingress off the Philippines' Romblon province on Sunday, July 16.
The Ro-Pax ferry Maria Helena, operated by local company Montenegro Shipping Lines, was underway some 100 metres off the coast of Banton municipality when its hull made bottom contact on a shallow area.
The ferry then developed a 10-degree list, resulting in flooding in some of the compartments.
The coast guard successfully evacuated all the occupants and has commenced transfer of the ferry's onboard cargo to another vessel. However, the incident had also caused a still undetermined volume of oily water to spill into the sea.
Investigators said the spill resulted from seawater entering Maria Helena's bilge tank as the vessel listed and became flooded.
The coast guard has since deployed containment booms, air bags, pumps, and barrels to prevent the further spread of pollution. The spill response operation was still ongoing as of Wednesday, July 19.
