3 fishers missing, 5 survive on fish, ‘lumot’ after ramming
Three Filipino fishermen remained missing and five others, who survived on fish and algae, were rescued more than two weeks after their boat was rammed by an unidentified vessel in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Thursday.
The vessel slammed into the wood-hulled Prince Elmo 2 in the waters off Occidental Mindoro’s Lubang Island around 8 p.m. on Jan. 30, according to Lt. Commander Michael John Encina, the PCG deputy spokesperson.
The eight men, who were from Naic, Cavite, left the town on Jan. 17 to fish near Lubang.
Rescued by Vietnamese
After they were hit by the unidentified vessel, the fishermen were swept away by strong currents from Lubang’s waters. Five were rescued in the vicinity of the Spratly Islands by the Vietnamese cargo vessel MV Dong An at 3:35 p.m. on Feb. 16, Encina said.
The PCG said the five fishermen were on the bow of the boat when they were rescued by the crew of the Vietnamese vessel. Three of their companions have been missing since the incident and their fates are unknown, he said.
Encina did not say what the condition of the fishing boat was when the five men were found.
On Wednesday, the PCG deployed the BRP Boracay with a medical team to the waters off Corregidor Island to receive the rescued fishermen from the Dong An.
The five fishermen survived on fish and algae (“lumot”) and were all physically well despite their ordeal, according to Encina, who gave no other details.
The PCG has already formed a Marine Casualty Investigation to probe the ramming incident.
In June 2019, the Chinese trawler Yuemaobinyu 42212 rammed the 14-ton Filipino fishing boat Gem-Vir 1 anchored at Recto Bank, 275 kilometers west of El Nido, Palawan, well within the Philippines’ 370-km exclusive economic zone.
The Chinese vessel turned off its lights and sailed away, abandoning the fishermen as they struggled to stay afloat in the darkness for about two hours before they were rescued by a passing Vietnamese fishing vessel.
A joint investigation report by the PCG and the Maritime Industry Authority classified the incident as “very serious” but did not determine whether the ramming was intentional or not.
The owner of the Chinese vessel, through the Guangdong Mutual Insurance Association, later apologized to the Filipino fishermen. The insurance group asked the fishermen to file an appeal for compensation based on the actual loss or damage.
Panatag incident
The Gem-Vir 1 owner and crew initially sought P12 million in civil damages, but in April 2022, a settlement was reached at P6 million. The compensation was finally paid in May 2022.
A similar incident occurred in October 2023 when the fishing boat FB Dearyn was rammed by an oil tanker near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal.
Three of the 14 fishermen, including the Dearyn’s skipper, were killed.
The PCG identified the vessel as the Pacific Anna, a 44-meter tanker registered under the flag of the Marshall Islands and operated by Sinokor Merchant Marine and owned by Compass Shipping 28 Corp. Ltd., based in Seoul, South Korea.
The 11 survivors used their small service boats to transport the victims’ bodies, as the Dearyn had sustained significant damage. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH
