Utilizing air and naval assets, the Philippines Western Command conducted search and rescue mission on the reportedly missing Malaysian-owned civilian barge off West Philippine Sea waters. Said barge has been towed to safety to Ulugan Bay by seven o’clock in the morning on June 25.
Officials from Coast Guard Palawan District reported to Headquarters WESCOM an incident involving a missing civilian barge and tugboat. Developing reports revealed that an abandoned barge was sighted by a fishing vessel at about 5NM East of Hasa-Hasa Shoal. The barge was identified as the Malaysian-owned “Hub 18”.
Upon receipt of report, WESCOM alerted its units for possible search and rescue mission and dispatched Philippine Navy Islander 314 to conduct aerial search. PNI 314 sighted the missing barge 15 NM Southwest off Abad Santos Shoal drifting to Northeast direction.
Naval supply ship BRP Bacolod City (LC 550) scoured the seas and located the missing barge about 22 NM Northeast off Abad Santos Shoal.
[mappress] Press Release, June 27, 2014; Image: Wikimedia