Cement Carrier Sinks off Philippines, 2 Missing

The captain and crane operator of a sunken cargo vessel remains missing while the rest of his crew were successfully rescued yesterday by a passing fishing boat 20 nautical miles north west of Naso Point in the Philippines.  

MV Vital was reportedly underway from Carmen, Cebu to Cuyo, Palawan to transport its cargo of cement, when rough seas battered the ship causing it to tilt to port side and sink around 11:15PM local time.

Four hours later, 11 of its crew were rescued by a passing fishing boat.

The incident was reported to the personnel of Coast Guard Station (CGS) San Jose de Buenavista who immediately conducted a search and rescue operations for the missing seafarers and rendered necessary assistance to the 11 others. 

The survivors have now been brought ashore. Ships in the area have been told to be vigilant in their lookout for the missing seafarers identified as Captain Celso L. Rafols, 64 years old, and Crane Operator Esmael Cabonce, 48 years old.

Picture credit: Diamantino Rosa