The Philippine Coast Guard reports that personnel on a Good Samaritan vessel have successfully rescued the entire crew of a cargo ship that capsized off Surigao del Norte province in the southern Philippines on Friday, February 10.
The locally-registered vessel LCT Pacifica 1 was underway between Surigao del Norte's Hinatuan and Bucas Grande Islands with a cargo of sand when it encountered three-metre-high waves at around 06:20 local time on Friday.
The captain later told responding coast guard personnel that the crew detected water ingress in the engine room after the ship was struck by the large waves. All power was then lost and the ship itself began to list.
The ship had already overturned with only the bottom of its hull protruding above the surface by the time a Ro-Pax ferry owned by local company Montenegro Shipping Lines arrived to render assistance.
All 23 of LCT Pacifica 1's crew were pulled out of the water and have since been transported to the nearest port. No injuries have been reported.
The coast guard said it is continuing to monitor the area for any oil spill resulting from the capsizing.
