The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) yesterday announced the cancellation of all voyages at several ports nationwide due to inclement weather brought by Tropical Depression “Wilma.”

In an advisory, the PPA said all trips have been cancelled at Port Management Office (PMO) Bohol, PMO Eastern Leyte/Samar, PMO Western Leyte/Biliran, PMO Surigao, PMO Misamis Occidental/Ozamis, PMO Negros Oriental/Siquijor, and at PMO Negros Occidental/Bacolod/Banago-Bredco.

In addition to cancelling sea trips, PPA General Manager Jay Santiago ordered all PMOs to uphold safety policies under the Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures for ports during inclement weather.

These include coordinating with terminal operators and shipping lines for immediate operational assessments and ensuring the public is immediately informed of any trip cancellations or delays.

“‘Wag na po natin antayin na may maaksidente pa sa ganitong uri ng panahon, malakas po ang hangin at alon sa mga pantalan kaya safety ng mga pasahero, port workers, at lahat ng stakeholders ang priority po,” Santiago said.

In addition to prioritizing safety measures, monitoring of vessel movements and cargo handling operations was intensified to ensure a sufficient number of personnel are available to handle PPA operations if weather conditions worsen.

Ready-to-eat food packs from the Department of Social Welfare and Development are ready to be distributed to stranded port passengers.

He called on the public to follow the PPA’s latest advisories and to be aware of announcements from shipping lines related to their trips. (PNA)