MV Cebu City

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The Cebu City was a Philippine cargo and passenger ship that sank on 2 December 1994 following a collision with a container ship. This 73 passengers and crew members were killed and 41 people have since been missing.

History

The collision

The Cebu City left on 2 December 1994 at 02:45 clock with passengers and cargo to the port of Manila. Objectives of the trip were the ports of Tagbilaran and Ozamis. Around the same time steered the Singaporean, built in 1976 for the Hamburg Süd and around 15,000 tons carrying container ship Kota Suria the shipping company Pacific International Lines on an opposite course at the Manila Bay. The weather was clear, the sea calm, and the visibility was about six miles.

At 4 Clock changing of the guard took place on the bridge of Kota Suria. Among other things, the ship's position was determined by radar, traffic situation, but not thoroughly investigated. The detached second officer remained at the now watchkeeping first officer on the bridge. The first officer had to take over the helmsman and switched from autopilot to manual control to. The speed of about 14 knots was not reduced.

Also on the Cebu City was around this time instead of the guard handed over to the first officer, but no position fix of about 16 knots fast ship, it was carried out. The visible visually and on the radar of numerous objects of the starboard bow, including the subsequent collision opponents were indeed registered by Wachablöser, but again, no control of the found in the wax takeover traffic situation took place.

A few minutes after the wax transfer remarked the first mate of Kota Suria Cebu City, changed shortly after the course 20 ° to starboard and tried via VHF to reach the passenger ship, but this did not answer.

Between 04:10 and 04:20 both ships collided. The Kota Suria the Cebu City hit about amidships on her starboard side. Both ships were jammed into each other for about half an hour before the Cebu City broke again and eventually sank. During this time he managed 525 passengers and crew members to save himself with the serene water rescue boats or jump on board the Kota Suria. 73 people died and 41 more have since been missing. No member of the crew of the Kota Suria was injured.

The investigation

After the collision, an investigation by the Board of Marine Inquiry of the Philippine Coast Guard took place. The Commission of Inquiry found that both ships would have happened starboard to starboard when none would have undertaken from both a change of course. Furthermore, the Commission considered the main part of the unethical behavior of the master and officers of the Kota Suria, but also found misconduct on the Cebu City. A discovery played in the investigation a particularly prominent role, the captain and officers of the Kota Suria put a fake log-book and another, as the time of collision used sea chart. Both undermined the credibility of the pages made ​​by the Kota Suria looking statements.

Follow

In 1987, after the sinking of the Doña Paz an advanced GMDSS sea area monitoring were introduced. After the Cebu City near the collision point of the San Nicolas- Superferry 12 disaster sank in the Bay of Manila, plans for a traffic separation scheme were created. However, these have so far not been implemented. Only recently took the maritime communications office ( MCO) his work on in this area.

Trivia

Whereas the collision relatively little damaged Kota Suria remained after the incident in service and was scrapped in 2003.