Vessel that rams Naga boardwalk allowed to sail

The cargo vessel that drifted and rammed into the baywalk area of Naga City due to strong winds. (PHOTO COURTESY OF NAGA CITY)

More than a month since it damaged the posts of an ongoing boardwalk project in Naga City, cargo vessel MV Unilink II was allowed to set sail last Friday after it reached an agreement with the contractor and the local government unit last week.

Engr. Arthur Villamor, city administrator of Naga, told CEBU DAILY NEWS that the company paid half of the total damage cost of P8.64 million after signing an agreement last week with the contractor.

Villamor said there is now an ongoing restoration work on the boardwalk.

“Mag-cleanup pa unya mag-pile driving og usab… 40 units (posts) man unta ang human na unya mag-usab na pud sugod sa uno (We will do a cleanup then the pile driving… 40 units were supposedly done but we have to start again from the beginning),” he said.
He added that the completion of the boardwalk was moved to February next year after the contractor, C.S. Santigao Construction Co. Inc., was granted an extension by the city government to finish the P61.1 million boardwalk project.

Villamor said the payment of the other half of the total damage cost would be made between the ship owner and C.S. Santiago Construction as the city government only serves as a mediator between the two parties in order to come up with a solution to the damages.

Meanwhile, the Maritime Industry Authority in Central Visayas (Marina-7) has not lifted the suspension of the cargo ship’s safety certificate, according to Marina-7 spokesman Jose Cabatingan in a text message sent to CDN.

Cabatingan said their safety engineer has not received any request from Unilink Shipping Corp., the owner of the vessel, to lift the suspension order and re-inspect their vessel.

To recall, the Naga City government barred the cargo vessel from leaving after it damaged the city’s baywalk area due to strong winds and rain last July 19.

Naga City Mayor Kristine Vanessa Chiong told reporters that they asked the owner of MV Unilink II to pay for the damage.