All 104 passengers of Starcraft 3 which had an engine malfunction at sea were rescued in waters off Tubigon at 2 p.m. on Thursday.
The vessel was travelling from Cebu when its engine suddenly showed signs of malfunction near the island-village of Pangpasan of said town, more than two kilometers away from the Tubigon port, the boat’s destination.
According to Seaman 2nd Class Reynante Pino of the Philippine Coast Guard, there was a leak in a pipe of the vessel’s turbo engine which prompted the boat’s crew to turn the machine off to prevent further damage.
The stranded fastcraft, shortly after the incident, was rescued by Starcraft 9 which pulled the malfunctioning boat towards the Tubigon port.
Some passengers expressed concern over the incident while others were thankful that weather conditions were favorable and there were no large currents while they were stranded.
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Earlier this month, concerned citizens aired complaints on safety issues against Starcraft particularly its vessels’ narrow emergency exits.
The issue was discussed by the Provincial Board as response to said complaints. (Allen Doydora)