MV Princess of the Stars
The ship capsized on 25 June 2008
- Lilac
IMO no. 8323161
The Princess of the Stars was a ferry shipping company Sulpicio Lines of the Philippine that on 22 June 2008 in the Sibuyan Sea ran during Typhoon Fengshen on the way from Manila to Cebu City aground and sank. The accident site is located off the island of Sibuyan ( Romblon Province ) near the town of San Fernando in sight of the coast. In the accident were with the passengers more than 850 people on board, of which only 56 people survived. On June 27, the recovery of bodies had to be interrupted because 10 tons of endosulfan were on board and with the highly toxic pesticide risk the health of divers.
The ship was built in 1984 under the hull number 2904 by Ishikawajima - Harima Heavy Industries Company in Aioi, Japan, and was initially about 10 years under the name Lilac for the Japanese shipping company Shin Nipponkai in Japan in use. 2004, the ferry was sold to the Philippines and renamed by the new owner Sulpicio Line in Princess of the Stars. The ship was the largest of Sulpicio Lines, and was considered Philippine relations as quite modern. It was approved for 1,992 people and measured with 23 824 gross register tons.
Just a few days after the sinking of the ferry, there were masses of mutual finger allegations. The shipping company Sulpicio Lines sued even the government weather service PAGASA due to incorrect prediction of the weather conditions. PAGASA, however, rejects this accusation; the storm had been predicted correctly, only have Sulpicio Lines nevertheless insisted on a scheduled departure of the ship. Also on the part of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo allegations to the port authority and the Coast Guard were aloud why the ship despite Taifunwarnungen ever been granted an authorization to leak from the safe harbor in Manila.
On 25 August 2008 a five-member commission of inquiry of the Philippine Board of Marine Inquiry has submitted a 65seitigen report. She comes in to the conclusion that Sulpicio Lines and in the accident himself killed whilst captain of the Princess of the Stars are to blame for the accident. The captain had misjudged the situation and continue the journey despite the approaching typhoon undeterred.