A passenger vessel from the Camotes Islands, Cebu yesterday stalled in the water about 5.4 nautical miles from its destination in Ormoc City, Leyte.
All 99 passengers of Jomalia Shipping Lines were safely transferred to Oceanjet 3, and arrived at the Ormoc port at about 11 a.m.
MV Mika Mari V was towed by a tugboat to the port before noon.
The Coast Guard in Ormoc said the vessel experienced engine trouble.
Romeo Danganan, manager of Jomalia Shipping, said the vessel’s engine was in good condition and that the problem could be traced to its propeller as MV Mika Mari V ran aground at a shallow part of Pilar port a few days after it started operating there in July.
Pilar Mayor Jesus Fernandez earlier convinced the shipping firm to operate in his town after passenger motorboats were grounded following the July 2 sinking of MB Kim Nirvana in Ormoc port where at least 61 people died.
READ: 36 dead, 20 missing as banca capsizes off Ormoc City waters
Yesterday the MV Mika Mari V with 17 crew members, left Pilar town in Camotes at 7:30 a.m.
It was scheduled to arrive at 9 a.m. in Ormoc but had problems a few minutes before reaching the Ormoc City port.
A fastcraft of Oceanjet, a sister company, arrived 30 minutes later to rescue the passengers.
Danganan said no passenger was hurt and all had breakfast before they were transferred to Oceanjet.
Danganan said the skipper, Roger Capin, could not determine immediately why the engine conked out.
The captain is required to submit a report or marine protest to the Coast Guard.
In the July 2 sinking of MB Kim Nirvana, owned by a different operator, the passenger motorboat just left Ormoc port when it capsized and sank about a kilometer away from the pier.
The grounding of other motorboats after the mishap cut off a supply route for many Pilar residents buy their goods in Ormoc City.
Mayor Fernandez requested Jomalia Shipping to assign a vessel to address their needs.
The shipping firm got a special permit to ply the Pilar-Ormoc route.
Almost two months later, Danganan said the company is still struggling to break even because other passenger motorboats have resumed operations.
He said the company will send its sister vessel Mika Mari I to fill-in the Pilar-Ormoc route.
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