Even with the gale warning lifted over the islands of Cebu and Bohol, several fastcraft vessel trips were cancelled due to rough seas in several parts of the Visayas.
The Philippine Coast Guard Cebu Station gave the go-signal for smaller seacraft weighing below 250 tons to sail back to sea two days after the state weather bureau Pagasa issued a gale warning for the entire Visayas region.
Eljohn Morillo of the Philippine Coast Guard said shipping companies still have the discretion whether or not to proceed with their scheduled trips for today.
In the meantime, the Cebu Port Authority (CPA) announced that additional five fastcraft trips bound for Bohol were cancelled today. CPA officer Dave Baguio confirmed that small seacraft were already permitted to sail.
“But it is up to the companies to cancel them. Since this morning, some still opted to cancel their voyages, stating that the seas are still not manageable to be plied through,” Baguio said.
The following trips from Pier 1 were cancelled today:
Oceanjet 8 bound for Tagbilaran ETA 11:40 AM.
Supercat’s St. Sariel bound for Tagbilaran ETA 1:15 PM.
M/V Lite Ferry 20 bound for Tubigon ETA.12:00 noon.
Starcraft bound for Tubigon ETA 11:35 AM.
VG Shipping bound for Talibon ETA 12:00 noon.
Baguio said they counted more than 500 passengers affected by the canceled trips of whom 200 decided to stay in Pier 1 to wait for the trip advisory.