The Philippine Coast Guard Zamboanga City Station has suspended all trips for vessels plying Zamboanga City to Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi on Tuesday morning due to bad weather conditions experienced in the area.
In a sea travel advisory issued at 11:40 a.m. on Tuesday, Lt. Tristan Jener Erediano, commander of the PCG Zamboanga City Station, temporarily suspended sea travel as the areas of Palawan, Visayas, and Mindanao were affected by the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITZC), according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
Hours earlier, around 3 a.m., a fastcraft bound for Isabela City in Basilan sank while still at the Zamboanga City Port.
According to the Isabela City local government, the fastcraft was anchored at the port area when it was hit by strong waves. Luckily, no one was hurt.
Samuel Sabanal, the boat captain, said the crew discovered a hole in the engine room, which became an entry for water.
When the crew noticed the problem, they immediately took a water pump and tried to drain the water, but failed. The boat completely sank at 5:20 a.m.
Sabanal clarified that he was not immediately informed of the problem, which he said could have been fixed sooner.
Authorities were still investigating the incident. A salvage operation was also underway to raise the boat back to the surface and prevent it from affecting port operations. The boat plies Zamboanga City and Isabela twice a day./coa