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General cargo vessel sinks off the Philippines

General cargo vessel Fortuner sank off the shoreline of Barangay Cansojong, Talisay City in the Philippines yesterday.

The Philippine Coast Guard rescued all 22 crew members from the vessel, however the vessel left some oil residue at the wreckage site and it still carries nearly 4,000 liters of fuel, raising environmental concerns from local authorities.

According to Dionlett Ampil, commander of Cebu station for Philippine Coast Guard, the vessel sank only about 90 feet from the water surface, which could endanger navigation safety in the area. The coast guard has already issued a warning to nearby vessels.

“Although we have contained the oil sheen as of this time but we also need to make sure that there will be no further environmental damage in the future,” Ampil told local media.

Ampil suggested the owner of the vessel, Cebu-based Seen Sam Shipping, pump the fuel out from the ship to prevent an oil spill.

Seen Sam Shipping has been coordinating with the coast guard and has sent divers to identify the position of the sunken ship.

Jason Jiang

Jason is one of the most prolific writers on the diverse China shipping & logistics industry and his access to the major maritime players with business in China has proved an invaluable source of exclusives. Having been working at Asia Shipping Media since inception, Jason is the chief correspondent of Splash and associate editor of Maritime CEO magazine. Previously he had written for a host of titles including Supply Chain Asia, Cargo Facts and Air Cargo Week.

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