The Philippine Coast Guard is assisting the crew of a barge that ran aground and spilled a portion of its limestone ore cargo in Campomanes Bay in Barangay Maricalum of Sipalay City, Negros Occidental due to strong waves over the weekend.

Ensign James Carbajosa, acting commander of Coast Guard Station Southern Negros Occidental, said in an interview yesterday that B/Big Job, a non-propelled barge carrying 7,500 metric tons of limestone ore, tilted to its side and cargo spilled out on Saturday afternoon, September 14.

It is one of the two barges of Asian Shipping Company Corp., the other being B/Big Sun, that ran aground Barangay Maricalum.

The Coast Guard report said B/Big Job and B/Big Sun, towed by tugboats Mabilis and Aidan, had 10 and 11 crew members, respectively.

All the crew members are safe.

Departing from the Garcia Hernandez port in Bohol, the barges were on their way to Rio Tuba, Palawan, when they ran aground along Barangay Maricalum in the southern Negros city.

Carbajosa said the owner would deploy another barge to Sipalay City to assist the B/Big Job in transferring the cargo.

Coast Guard marine environmental protection personnel will determine if there is damage to the corals, he added. (PNA)