By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
At least 14 people were injured late Monday afternoon after a fast craft struck the Bredco Port jetty.
Philippine Coast Guard-Bacolod (PCG-Bacolod) station commander, Lt. Commander Rockcliff Buling, said the vessel, the Ocean Jet Fast Ferries-owned M/V Ocean Jet 12, which was carrying 150 passengers and crew, was performing docking maneuvers when it suffered mechanical trouble, which caused the ship to hit the jetty.
Affected passengers suffered various injuries, while others complained of triggered hypertension and dizziness.
Buling added, the vessel was moving slowly during the incident as part of its docking maneuvers.
The PCG is now conducting a follow-up investigation into the incident.
The occurrence is the third such incident involving the company.
In 2017 and 2018, another one of their vessels, the M/V Ocean Jet 7, was involved in two incidents involving mechanical problems that caused the vessel to collide with the Bredco Port jetty./DGB, WDJ