The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported on Friday, January 19, that it rescued two barges that ran aground in the vicinity waters of Brgy. Taboc, Opol, Misamis Oriental.
The incident reportedly happened last Monday, January 15, at around 3 p.m.
Based on PCG's investigation, Barge SB 1002 and Barge Waling Waling "were dragged into the said vicinity's waters due to the strong winds and big waves."
"Barge SB 1002 and Barge Waling Waling were approximately 10 meters and 250 meters away from the shoreline, respectively," the PCG said.
"MTUG Gabay attempted to attach a towing line to the barges but failed due to low tide and poor visibility," it added.
On January 17, PCG said it "conducted underwater hull inspections" before conducting another towing operation.
Meanwhile, Coast Guard District Northern Mindanao said the shipping company was advised to secure a special permit to navigate to drydock the barges at the nearest shipyard if the barges were successfully extracted from the grounding site.
"The Vessel Safety Service Unit (VSSU), which conducted a vessel safety enforcement inspection on December 21–22, 2023, advised the representative of the shipping company to secure a special permit to navigate (SPN) to drydock to the nearest possible shipyard if the barges were successfully extracted from the grounding site," it said.
