October 4, 2023
MANILA – The commercial ship that rammed a Filipino fishing boat, which led to the death of three Zambales fishermen, hoisted a foreign flag, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Wednesday.
“It is a foreign vessel based on the updated incident report,” the PCG said in a statement.
The PCG could not yet identify the vessel’s country of origin as it awaits more information.
“The PCG advised the owner to file a marine protest,” it added.
A crew member of FFB Dearyn said the incident occurred at around 4:20 am on Monday while their mother boat was moored to a “payao” or a raft used to attract and catch fish 85 nautical miles northwest of the shoal also locally known as Bajo de Masinloc and Panatag Shoal.
“The mother boat submerged, resulting in the death of its three crew members, including its boat captain,” the PCG said in its report.
The remains of three victims were transported to Barangay Cato in Infanta, Pangasinan.
Meanwhile, 11 crew members survived the maritime incident.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said he was “deeply saddened” by the incident.