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The two vessels involved in last Tuesday's accident were grounded starting yesterday after the Maritime Industry Authority in Central Visayas (Marina-7) ordered the suspension of the vessels' safety certificates.
Mardon Martin, Marina-7 safety engineer, said Marina Director Glenn Cabañez immediately signed the suspension order on Wednesday pending the investigation on the cause of the accident.
Until Wednesday afternoon, the captains of two vessels involved in the collision ? MV Wonderful Star and MV Subic Bay 1 ? had yet to file their marine protests before Marina-7 but they had until last night to submit it.
?We have suspended the safety certificates of the two vessels pending inspection of the two vessels and investigation on the cause of the accident. We wanted to know who had the responsibility,? Martin said.
He assured that Marina-7 would ensure the seaworthiness of the two vessels before they would lift the suspension order.
Roble Shipping Lines' MV Wonderful Star and Gothong Shipping Lines' MV Subic 1 collided at the vicinity of the first Mandaue-Mactan bridge at 10:27 p.m. on Tuesday.
Lt. Junior Grade Michell Ursabia, information officer of the Coast Guard District Central Eastern Visayas, said MV Wonderful Star, which has a 1,000 gross tonnage, was bound for Ormoc City, Leyte from Pier 4 with 519 passengers and an undetermined number of crew.
The passenger-cargo vessel, MV Subic Bay 1 was heading to the Gothong wharf in Mandaue City from Manila carrying unspecified cargoes.
Ursabia said the two vessels sideswiped each other where MV Wonderful Star was hit in the forward section while the Subic Bay 1 was hit in the port (right) side.
Subic Bay 1 was able to continue its voyage and docked at the Gothong wharf.
But the Wonderful Star tilted seven degrees on its port side and ran aground.
Ursabia said their rubber boats and the tugboats of Roble Shipping and Sulpicio Lines and Gothong Shipping were deployed in the area to ferry the passengers until 2 a.m.
Ursabia said they had not yet established the damage of the two vessels as their inspectors and divers were still there in the area.
But Wonderful Star will be refloated during high tide and will be towed to Pier 4.
