| Photo from PGC-7
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The 158 passengers and crew of the roll-on-roll-off (ro-ro) vessel that got stuck for more than seven hours at the Mactan Channel were safely brought back to shore, the Philippine Coast Guard in Central Visayas (PCG-7) reported.
Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) Krysta Bergantin, PCG-7 spokesperson, said all passengers of the MV Lite Ferry 11 were brought back to the Ouano Wharf late night on Sunday, July 10.
Bergantin said the shipping company decided to reschedule their trip on Monday, July 11, at 11 p.m.
PCG-7 earlier confirmed that MV Lite Ferry 11, bound for Ormoc City, failed to reach its destination after departing Cebu via Ouano Wharf in Mandaue City at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
The vessel was supposed to arrive in Ormoc at approximately 6 p.m. But at that time, it was located instead two nautical miles off the Bagacay Point in Liloan town, northern Cebu.
Initial reports from PCG-7 showed that the ro-ro’s engine malfunctioned, prompting the crew to drop anchor to facilitate repairs.
When the repairs were finished, however, the crew had trouble lifting the anchor. Lite Shipping had to deploy additional equipment to cut off the stuck anchor.
Personnel from Lite Shipping and the Coast Guard managed to bring MV Lite Ferry 11, its passengers and crew back on shore past 10 p.m. on Sunday, or nearly 12 hours since it departed Ouano Wharf.
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