Press Release No. 070-03
26 February 2003
RP-FLAG
VESSEL SINKS IN JAPAN; 1 PINOY RESCUED, 7 MISSING
In a second maritime accident in as many weeks in Japanese waters, a small
Philippine registered vessel overturned somewhere in Amami-Kagoshima Island,
near Kagoshima Prefecture on Monday 24 February 2003 at about 3:00 a.m.The
Coast Guard received information about the accident approximately around
5:10 p.m. on Tuesday 25 February 2003.
The ill fated vessel was supposed to arrive in Batangas City Port on 3 March
2003. It departed from Onomichi Port Hiroshima Prefecture. The 217.14 ton
M/V “Mahlia” had a crew of 8 Filipino seamen and so far only one has
been rescued and identified as Nilo A. Macasling, the ship’s chief engineer.
The other seven Filipino crewmen were wearing life jackets and are still
missing as of this writing. Mr. Macasling was found in a safety bag when
he was rescued by another Philippine cargo vessel, the M/V Asian Dynasty.
Mr. Macasling was brought to the Kagoshima City yesterday 25 February where
he is currently recuperating.
Upon being informed of the incident while on a trip to Malaysia to attend
the Non Aligned Movement Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Foreign Affairs Secretary
Blas F. Ople instructed the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo to coordinate with
the Japanese authorities regarding the whereabouts of the missing seven Filipino
seamen. Philippine Ambassador to Tokyo Domingo L. Siazon Jr. and Philippine
Consul Genera for Osaka Antonio Villamayor are both coordinating with Japanese
authorities in their search and rescue efforts. Both foreign service posts
continue to gather information from the Japanese Coast Guard as well as monitor
the condition of Mr. Macasling.
The Philippine Embassy has also requested the Labor Attache to coordinate
with the shipping agency so that next of kin of the victims would be informed.
The names of the other 7 Filipinos listed as missing are still being withheld
pending notification of their next-of-kin. END