MANILA, Philippines – The United States Pacific Command has offered to send more ships to help in the search and rescue operations for MV Princess of the Stars survivors and victims.
This was revealed Tuesday by Armed Forces chief of staff General Alexander Yano who said
that the US would be sending a salvage ship and placed on alert a battle group to lend their expertise in scouring the coast of Sibuyan island where the MV Princess of the Star capsized Saturday.
He welcomed the help of the US Navy ship Stockham which around 3:30 a.m. in Romblon assuring of close coordination between the Coast Guard and the US team.
Yano described the US Navy Ship Stockham as a container and roll-on, roll-off ship which has on board Sea Hawk helicopters, two 10-meter boats and two 11-meter boats that has already conducted aerial reconnaissance upon arrival.
He also said that a P3 Orion surveillance aircraft had also been used to conduct aerial reconnaissance.
"The US Pacific Command also offered additional assistance. They can have a salvage ship which is a platform for divers coming from Japan to sail in 3-4 days towards the country. We also have a battle group of four-five ships in the vicinity west of the Philippines that can sail towards our area in 36 hours when needed," he added.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said the US team would stay in Romblon until they are needed.
For his part, Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said that aside from the US, Japan Coast Guard had also been helping out in the search and rescue operations.
"We will welcome expertise for other countries in the matter of not only retrieval but also search and rescue. They have skills, they have the equipment that we might not have. That’s why we also need their competence to help the PCG," he said.
He added that PCG divers had already been able to reach the sunken vessel and retrieve at least one body when the Cabinet-NDCC meeting had been convened.
Tamayo also said based on their record, a total of 68 survivors and 27 bodies – both figures not necessarily pertaining to the victims of the MV Princess of the Star – had already been recovered.
Tamayo said apart from the MV Princess of the Star, a cargo ship and several fishing boats that had sank, been grounded or toppled by the big waves at the height of the typhoon Frank.
Because of this, he said that they have yet to sort out and verify which of the survivors and bodies belong to the Sulpicio Lines sunken vessel.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Tuesday evening said that search and rescue operations for passengers of ships that capsized or ran aground due to typhoon Frank are still ongoing.
In a phone interview, Seaman First Alvin Cayago of the PCG Public Information Office said the PCG has deployed four ships to look for sea mishap victims, including those from MV Princess of the Stars.
Aside from the MV Princess of the Stars, the PCG earlier reported that there were eight other sea mishaps due to typhoon Frank. The eight other sea mishaps had claimed the lives of at least six.
Five people died after MV Lake Paw Y capsized off the coast of Burias Island in Romblon on June 21.
The remaining 23 survivors have been accounted for, according to Cayago.
One casualty was reported from another sea mishap involving the MV Ocean Papa, which capsized eight nautical miles away from Culasi, Antique on Sunday. Twenty-four survivors have been recovered while three others are still missing.
Other sea vessels that ran aground were MV Santa Bernardita, LCT Navista, MV Kinscebu, MV Delfin Otso, MV Filipinas Cebu, and FB Inday Nee.
There were no reported casualties or oil spills from the said vessels.
The Philippine Coast Guard said Tuesday afternoon that oil is starting to spill from MV Princess of the Stars, which capsized off Romblon last Saturday and killed at least 67 people.