The second fastcraft vessel incident of the month occurred Saturday morning, when an Iloilo City-bound 2GO Travel vessel, carrying 203 passengers, reported trouble 0.8 nautical miles away from the Bredco Port in Bacolod City.

According to Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Bacolod station commander, Lieutenant Senior Grade Jimmy Oliver Vingno, crew from the ship contacted the PCG station reporting a malfunctioning steering mechanism.

The local coast guard chief commanded the vessel’s captain to return to port using only its engines to maneuver the vessel. They later managed to dock safely without further incident.

Once docked, Vingno said they immediately detained the vessel in order to allow the Maritime Industry Authority to conduct an investigation.

The incident was the second this month after another vessel, the M/V Ocean Jet 7, slammed into the Bredco Port jetty after losing control of its throttles.

40 people were hospitalized in the incident, but were later discharged after receiving treatment.

In light of the recent breakdowns, Vingno said they will carry out more thorough inspection of the ships in their area of operations before allowing them to sail./DGB, WDJ