Princess of the Stars (MV “Princess of the Stars”) is a ferry of the Philippine company Sulpicio Lines , which crashed on June 21, 2008 near the coast of Sibuyan Island ( Romblon archipelago) during the typhoon Fengshen , which passed over the Philippines and China. The ferry was built in Japan in 1984 and was originally called the MV Ferry Lilac of Shin Nihonkai Ferry.
| Princess of the Stars (MV "Princess of the Stars") | |
|---|---|
 Lifting Operation, August 2008 | |
| Flag |  Philippines |
| Class and type of vessel | ferry |
| Home port | Cebu |
| IMO Number | |
| Organization | Sulpicio lines |
| Operator | liner , cruise ship (after reconstruction) class Ivan Franko |
| Manufacturer | IHI Corporation , Japan |
| Launched | 1984 |
| Withdrawn from the fleet | June 21, 2008 |
| Main characteristics | |
| Displacement | 23824t |
| Length | 192m |
| Passenger capacity | 1992 passengers |
Content
Catastrophe
“Princess of the Stars” - one of the main ships of the company “Sulpicio Lines” sailed from the port of Manila on June 20, 2008 heading to Cebu . According to official figures, there were 626 passengers and 121 crew members on board the ferry. However, more people were later reported. Later, the figure was 862 people [1] . Despite the fact that the typhoon “Fenshtein” (local name “Frank”) hit the island of Samar on the morning of the same day, the “Princess of Stars” took off, as it was believed that the ferry was large enough to withstand the storm. On July 21, in the middle of the day, the “Princess of Stars” sent a distress signal and radio communication with him was lost at 12:00 local time. The mayor of San Fernando, Nanete Tansunho, sent a boat that said the ferry was leaking, partially flooded and several human bodies were found nearby.
Rescue Operation
At 11:30 the passengers were ordered to put on life jackets and, 15 minutes later, the captain gave the order to leave the ship. In the middle of the day the ferry gave a roll. Survivors saw how many people jumped into the water, while some reached life rafts. Many of them were not in life jackets and, according to the survivors, the team was more concerned with their own rescue and not with the help of passengers. The ferry rolled over at about 6 pm local time. A ship that came to rescue was forced to interrupt the operation due to "giant waves, heavy rain and gusty wind." Another rescue ship finally arrived at the Princess of the Stars 24 hours after the loss of communications. On June 23, a US Navy ship came to the rescue from Japan
On June 24, Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Edgar Arevalo reported that scuba divers, despite bad weather conditions, managed to dive to the sunken ship. They specially knocked on the hull of the vessel so that people remaining in the air-filled compartments of the ferry could answer them. However, there were no response signals [2] . On the same day, it was officially announced that out of 862 people, 62 were killed, 743 people were missing. A total of 57 people were saved. Twenty-eight people were found in a lifeboat off the coast of Quezon province, another 29 passengers managed to get to the coast by swimming [1] . On June 27, search and rescue operations were discontinued. On board the sunken ship, 10 tons of the toxic substance “endosulfan” were found in 400 boxes [3] . Around the crash site, the Philippine authorities created a five-kilometer exclusion zone in which fishing and other activities were prohibited.
In order to assess the environmental risks and the possible impact of the consequences of the accident on humans, on July 9, the European Commission sent an expert group to the Philippines.
The experts conducted aerial reconnaissance, as well as inspections by boat and on foot along the coastline in order to assess the situation, make an analysis and make recommendations for protocols, deploying a quick response to the sea in the event of a spill of harmful substances [4] .
Investigation
The Philippine Maritime Investigation Commission, in its 65-page report of August 25, 2008, submitted to the maritime industry department, held Sulpicio Lines and its captain responsible for the tragedy. The captain of the vessel who disappeared after the shipwreck was named guilty [5] . The shipping company was recognized as negligent for failure to fulfill its obligations to ensure the safe transportation of passengers and goods to their destination [6] .
International Reaction
The United States donated $ 100,000 to victims of the tragedy. US President George W. Bush, at a meeting with President Phillipine Gloria Macapagal-Arroy, expressed his condolences and promised that additional assistance would be provided, including the deployment of the USS Ronald Reagan, an American naval aircraft carrier, to assist in any rescue or search operations. [7]
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sent a telegram to the President of the Philippines, in which he expressed condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery [8] .
Pope Benedict XVI declared Sunday Mass at the Vatican that he was deeply excited by the tragedies and was invited to visit the Philippines [9] .
See also
- Sewol ferry wreck
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 29 more survivors of the ferry wreck in the Philippines . RIA News .
- ↑ The princess was knocked on the hull. Scuba divers examine the sunken ferry, which may be 800 dead . Russian newspaper .
- ↑ Searches at the ferry crash site in the Philippines have been discontinued . RIA News .
- ↑ Crash of the Princess of the Stars ferry Mortrans.info.
- ↑ Probe blames captain, company for Philippines ferry disaster .
- ↑ Probe blames captain, company for Philippines ferry disaster .
- ↑ US ship coming to help retrieve victims of sea tragedy .
- ↑ Medvedev expressed his condolences to the families of typhoon victims in the Philippines . RIA News .
- ↑ Pope pledges 'special prayer' for Philippine ferry victims .