SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – Some 4,500 bags of cement have been salvaged from the MV Star Liberty that ran aground last Sept. 3 at the San Jose de Buenavista Port due to the strong waves caused by the southwest monsoon, a Philippine Coast Guard official said Monday.
PCG Antique Station Commander Perlita P. Cinco said the cement bags have been retrieved since October 5 by the salvor, hired by the owner of the ship, J. Diamond R. Shipping Inc., out of the 20,000 bags loaded on the cargo vessel.
“The bags of cement are being transported to the San Jose de Buenavista dump site,” Cinco said in an interview.
She said San Jose de Buenavista Mayor Elmer Untaran has allowed the bags of cement to be placed at the dump site in Barangay Pantao so it could be used for other purposes.
“Hopefully, this October the retrieval of the cement would already be finished so that the cargo vessel could be offloaded already,” she said.
The vessel, which bore minor damage such as a hole on its engine room because of the strong waves, could already be transported back to Cebu where it originated.
The 383 gross ton cargo vessel arrived at the San Jose de Buenavista Port on August 28 from Cebu supposedly to transport the cement to a consignee in the province when it ran aground.
The ship captain and 22 crew members were rescued by the Coast Guard together with the Antique Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Coordinating Office rescuers. (/PNA)
