# Philippine ship stranded by storm (BBC News)



## SN NewsCaster

A ferry carrying 700 people is stranded off the Philippines after being hit by huge waves caused by a typhoon, officials say.

More from BBC News...


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## andysk

ex FERRY LILAC, Japanese, 1984, IHI, Aioi


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## Gavin Gait

Latest on the news this morning is that only 3 survivors have been found so far , a very very sad day indeed


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## ROBERT HENDERSON

I have just looked at Teletext News, the figures given were 740 on board, 4 bodies found, 3 survivours. Certainly a very sad and tragic day.


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## Pompeyfan

Once again it would seem another sea tragedy that should have never been allowed to happen. Not only should the ship have never sailed with a typhoon about to hit, there seems to be confusion as to how many people were on board. 155 people have already died across the country according to the Red Cross in floods and landslides caused by the typhoon. Lets hope that there are far more survivors from the ship than found so far but it is looking very grim indeed for the 700 plus said to be on board.

David


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## Gavin Gait

Latest i've seen is that the number of souls involved is over 840 not the 740 originally quoted....


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## ROBERT HENDERSON

I am not surprised that the exact figures are not coming out, having worked on third world passenger ships, albeit on an African Lake we were often grossly overloaded with no checks kept.
In the case of this last tragic loss of life, one cannot help but wonder if lessons ever will we learnt.


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## muldonaich

ROBERT HENDERSON said:


> I am not surprised that the exact figures are not coming out, having worked on third world passenger ships, albeit on an African Lake we were often grossly overloaded with no checks kept.
> In the case of this last tragic loss of life, one cannot help but wonder if lessons ever will we learnt.


not where there is profit to be made we can only pray for them and their loved ones kev.


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## Tony D

I know we all complain about all the rules and regulations here,the seemingly silly Health and Safety stuff, the Granny State,but there are some things that need strict regulation.
Terrible tragedy.


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## billyboy

Ship should never have sailed. All ferry ships were grounded in Cebu at the time this one sailed from Manila. These are coffin ships ideal in fair weather, But in a crisis how do people get out of them. 100's are trapped inside it. we also lost a container ship at about the same time (name not published this morning)
Our local news states "the President is demanding answers as to why this ship was allowed to sail" into a typhoon.
Rescue services here leave a whole lot to be desired.
Personal theory: the ship started to move around a bit and stirred up the sediment in the fuel tanks (all old ships that have been modified here). resulting in the blockage of the fuel filters causing the engines to stall. the same appears to have happened to the container ship.

We were lucky, the typhoon passed about 40 miles to the west of us, just very heavy rain and a maderate breeze here.


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## SN NewsCaster

*Stricken ferry 'survivors found' (BBC News)*

Local radio reports 28 survivors found alive from a typhoon-hit ferry in the Philippines, but hundreds remain missing.

More from BBC News...


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## billyboy

Oceanic Container Lines was the only name given to the container ship that went down


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## billyboy

still trapped inside the upturned hull. I hear the stern is still visible.
Usual thiong out here. get an old ship and weld a few more decks on it and paint it up. no stability factor then


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## billyboy

read this item from ABS/CBN news

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=122680

Think they going to be in big trouble this time.


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## billyboy

I have just been reading about a voyage made by a passenger on the "Pelini Lines" ship MV KELUD.
Attached is a paragraph

"I would be sailing on the KELUD, a ship that is rather bizarrely named after an active volcano in East Java. Its largest recorded eruption took place in 1586, when an estimated 10,000 people were killed, but its temper has not calmed since then. Over the past century it has erupted no less than 5 times, killing around 5,400 people in total, a record often equaled by the average Filipino ferry disaster."
The full article can be read here

http://www.maritimematters.com/pelni-boonzaier.html


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## JoK

BillyBoy!! Iwas thinking about you after reading about the typhoon. Goodto see you here!


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## billyboy

we were lucky, the typhoon passed about 40 miles to the west of us. Got a fair bit of rain and thunder though. Thank you for your concern Jok


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## JoK

40 miles, just a shave and a haircut then !


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## ssr481

Just heard on Fox News TV here in the States that US Navy Seals and US Special Forces divers are on the way to the ferry.. another group of survivors were found.. 

Weather has forced a halt to additional rescue operations...


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## Don Matheson

Just heard on the radio, they are talking about 800 souls lost. With luck some of them may be still inside the ferry.
Also stated the owners are the same company that owned the ferry that hit a tanker causing the deaths of over 4,000 people. Seems we will hear much more about this than we thought. Think this is the ship Billyboy mentioned earlier.
Don


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## Pompeyfan

Lets hope lessons are learned from this tragedy but one wonders how many more lessons will need to be learned before something is done to prevent carbon copy accidents. In my former job the same thing seemed to happen year after year but on a far lesser scale, although over a period of years, the figures were many hundreds. When something like this happens it is hundreds at the same time, just like when an aircraft goes down. This ship should not have sailed, could have well not been unstable, unseaworthy state in such condition as Billy suggests due too many decks welded on and so on. All this will no doubt come out after the enquiry. But one day, it will be a far bigger ship foundering in storms or whatever, and far more passengers, and not over loaded unseaworthy or whatever. Passengers only have one drill on cruise ships at least which is must attend in compliance with International Regulations but few take much notice of and no doubt would remember nothing in the real thing. And I doubt if the passengers on this ferry had any safety instructions at all. In the ferries where I live instructions are given over the tannoy but nobody listens, they are all talking to each other oblivious of what the message is telling them. I have always maintained that on longer trips, cruises or whatever more drills should be given. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. It may not be possible in many cases such as short ferry trips, but those who survived from this ferry disater could well have been better trained at survival, been on deck, or just plain lucky or of mixture of it all. Whatever, we only get one life and when I go aboard a ship ferry or cruise ship I look for my quickest way off from wherever I am, where life jackets are if no time to get back to the cabin, life buoys, life rafts and so on. And even if I go to the theatre on a cruise ship I always insist on sitting in an aisle seat or standing at the back. However, despite being as safety first as possible this tragedy has proved that mother nature is more powerful than any of us and although this ship should have never sailed, she may not have stood a chance whatever state she may have been in, and neither would the poor souls who perished. Lets hope as many as possible are still found, but one fears the worst in such horrific conditions. 

David


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## Pat McCardle

This is the 15th loss the ferry operator Sulpicio has had, Dona Paz being their worse loss of life when 4000 perished after collision & fire in 1987. All their vessels have been stopped until their seaworthiness has been checked, this being an order from the Philippines department of transport. It costs money to 'Learn Lessons' & unfortunately it looks like no lessons have been learned from previous sinkings around the Philippines.


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## Pompeyfan

Quite true Pat, which on a lesser scale, why lessons will not be learned at our own seaside because doing so cost money. This is on a far larger scale of course because so many people die at the same time when these death trap ships set sail. These third world countries have a bigger problem due to this it would seem but learning lessons from another persons death does not always cost money. Sometimes it is down to sheer stupidity like this ship sailing at all.

David


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## ROBERT HENDERSON

Pat
The owners will be insured so the financial loss may not be that great,even so, financial loss is negligible when measured against loss of life. I have never ever believed that profit should come before human life, unfortunately for the bosses human life means nothing. It is about time that people at the top should serve lengthy prison sentences where it is found that the people at the top are to blame, they should never be allowed to hold positions of responsibility again. The loved ones of those on that ferry must be going through hell at the moment, wondering if their loved are amongst those that have been saved.


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## billyboy

The pictures of her on the TV, Bow sticking up out of the water at low tide. She is flat bottomed. (shallow draught) why hell take a flat bottom boat to sea in a storm in the first place.


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## SN NewsCaster

*Bodies found in Philippine ferry (BBC News)*

Divers found bodies but no survivors as they began searching a capsized ferry in the Philippines, navy personnel say.

More from BBC News...


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## billyboy

Most awful business indeed. Thoughts are with the relatives ashore. such a mass tragedy. All those lives lost needlessly in the name of money.
Heads will roll this time for sure. this company has drowned thousands of passengers over the last 20 years.


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## gdynia

Billy you would hope so but this company as you say has got away with alot of accidents in the past


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## billyboy

You are right there Neville.
Bet they get away with it this time too. They enough money to get themselfs off the hook.
At the moment, every one of their ships are grounded. But, for how long i ask.


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## Pompeyfan

Hopefully heads *will * roll this time Billy and this company told to get its act together or go out of business. Survivors talking of panic on board has always been a fear of mine when a passenger ship goes down making the situation far worse even if passengers had been given safety instructions. Few listen anyway. One wonders what the crew were doing, were they well drilled in such cases, or was the storm so violent that nothing would have saved those poor souls. If the latter, then this company should never be allowed to sail again until they are more responsible thinking of safety before money.

David


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## billyboy

Every ship out here has a ships plan displayed on a bulkhead somewhere along with the licence notices..
I always study this plan and plan my own escape route out. often through deck officers quaters. the last ship i travelled of had a staircase hidden be hind a door that the crew used to get from the passenger accomodation up to the officers accom which was just behind the bridge. If in an emergency i could have got out this way. The alleyways were all blocked with luggage. and the thought of competeing with all the other passengers to get up the main escape staircase at the same time horrified me.


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## Pompeyfan

That is another problem with ferries Billy, luggage everywhere but I wonder how many people read the ships plan?!. You are like me, finding an escape route in advance. These survivors could have well had the same idea, and I wonder how many were crew deserting the sinking ship?!.

David


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## billyboy

there was a crew member survibed. some of the bodies found washed up on the beach were NOT Sulpicio passengers!... goodness knows where they came from.


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## bobharrison2002

Has anyone seen this vessel or photos of it? I was just wondering if it had been "Modified" to such an extent as to make it top heavy. Was she a ro-ro or just a passenger ferry? If she was a ro-ro I could certainly see unsecured vehicles causing the accident.

Bob


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## billyboy

You got it in one Bob. Most of the ships out here have about 3 decks welded on to them. I recall being three decks down on one ship. standing on teak planking looking at where the lifeboat davits used to be. with three extra decks above me, Scarry stuff!
The biggest problem is in the initial design. not enough draught on these so called modern ships. We just had an image of this ship on TV. she id balancing on a coral reef, if she slips she will slide down into deep water. the other pictures we have seen taken at low tide show her to be very shallow draught and Flat bottomed. Ship that size should be drawing at least 15 feet of water.


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## hughesy

My heart goes out to them, what a tragic loss of life, so much grief.
All the best 
Hughesy


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## Santos

There is a brief video of her *here*

Just scroll down it is the second video screen.

Chris.


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## hughesy

*Reflective*

It sure brings things into perspective, when you think your "bad off", you see folks going through all that loss and turmoil. it makes me gratefull, and I always know "If you think its bad now!, it can always get worst"

All the best
Hughesy


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## billyboy

Going to visit a friend tomorrow who has a picture of her on a calender. will try to copy it.


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## Lemschout

A very interesting remark here: 



billyboy said:


> ... Personal theory: the ship started to move around a bit and stirred up the sediment in the fuel tanks (all old ships that have been modified here). resulting in the blockage of the fuel filters causing the engines to stall. the same appears to have happened to the container ship....


Some years ago we got a Belgian large dredge which ran aground on Sakhalin for the same reason. All crew was saved, but the ship has been declared a total loss. The ship came from Singapore a few months earlier and could have been in calm sheltered waters until a thyphoon passedby.

Not being an engineer, I wonder how these filters blockages can be foreseen and prevented. I sailed a good 30 years but never got an engine breakdown due to them. But now it seems quite frequent. A few days ago while inspecting a large roro there was a black out due to glogged filters of the AE fuel supply. If this kind of engine breakdown is now menacing all the ferries there is a serious problem which should be handled asap. 

Trying now to add a map of sinking area with a plot of the positions of the typhoon. The Princess of the Stars is reported to hAve stopped at 10am, and sank shortly before noon.


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## surfaceblow

Before the use of computerized maintenance programs all of the fuel and water strainers and filters were cleaned or replaced before the start of the next leg of the voyage in port and when the gages indicated a need to change. Also the fuel system filters and strainers were changed over and cleaned by the watches once a day. 

When I left going to sea this system was replaced by a system of condition and timed maintenance (no more watches). Condition maintenance was to wait to the differential pressure gage showed you it was dirty and timed once a month (or every 120 hours for the generators). The use of self cleaning filters that rotate and blow back the dirt automatically are taken apart and cleaned manually once a year some times twice a year. (Even with the condition and time maintenance system I required all of the cooling, bilge, ballast, fuel and lube oil systems manual filters and strainers were cleaned before leaving port). 

I had a problem with an automatic back flush filters on a lube oil system what worked fine until we were in rough weather. The movement of lube oil in the sump disturbed loose paint and dirt that plugged the automatic back flush bypass filters. The engine department spent the night cleaning the in line filters and strainers. The plugged auto filters did not effect the engines since it was a bypass filter system. Also since the ship was triple screw there was more than enough redundancy. The next port stay the auto back flush filters were cleaned manually a long with the purifiers.


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## Lemschout

Thanks to the explanation of surfaceblow the problem of bloked filters apparently can be solved with a good maintenance and some common sense (checking the pressure gauges).

The redundancy offered by three propellers (3 engine also?) will certainly please Jack, a participant in the bulk carrier forum.

The Princess of the Stars could escape most SOLAS regulations as it stayed in national waters. Nevertheless, the management asked Bureau Veritas to deliver an ISM Safety Managment Certificate. It can thenbe assumed that this kind of filter maintenance was part of their system. 



surfaceblow said:


> Before the use of computerized maintenance programs all of the fuel and water strainers and filters were cleaned or replaced before the start of the next leg of the voyage in port and when the gages indicated a need to change. Also the fuel system filters and strainers were changed over and cleaned by the watches once a day.
> 
> When I left going to sea this system was replaced by a system of condition and timed maintenance (no more watches). Condition maintenance was to wait to the differential pressure gage showed you it was dirty and timed once a month (or every 120 hours for the generators). The use of self cleaning filters that rotate and blow back the dirt automatically are taken apart and cleaned manually once a year some times twice a year. (Even with the condition and time maintenance system I required all of the cooling, bilge, ballast, fuel and lube oil systems manual filters and strainers were cleaned before leaving port).
> 
> I had a problem with an automatic back flush filters on a lube oil system what worked fine until we were in rough weather. The movement of lube oil in the sump disturbed loose paint and dirt that plugged the automatic back flush bypass filters. The engine department spent the night cleaning the in line filters and strainers. The plugged auto filters did not effect the engines since it was a bypass filter system. Also since the ship was triple screw there was more than enough redundancy. The next port stay the auto back flush filters were cleaned manually a long with the purifiers.


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## surfaceblow

Hello Pierre

Yes, three slow speed engines. Good maintenance and clean service tanks is a must. If the service tank is dirty then the fuel filters will plug up any time there is rough weather. 

Joe


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## surfaceblow

I did not include the number one reason for the blocked fuel filters. Which is a dirty fuel system. The fuel delivered is dirty with all sorts of debris. The transfer system to the settler has a strainer and filter by the transfer pump I have seen these strainers and filters to have extra holes in them (damaged from not being cleaned or by people that did not want to clean them?). From the settler at least on a diesel plant there is a purifier that cleans the oil before going into the service tanks. Ideally the purifier will be rated for the maximum consumption of the vessel. I have been a few ships where this was not the case so you had to increase flow thru the purifier to keep up with demand or have two purifiers on. If the purifier is not operated correctly you can get the dirt into the service tank. Another way to get unwanted material into the service tank is from the tank vents (holes in vent screens). At least on ship went down when the service tank vent was damaged and water entered the service tank (January 5, 1993, the "Brear"). 
You can also get dirt into the service tank by the mixing of incompatible fuels. The quick test that you do onboard some times do not pick up the problem. I always kept track of what fuel was in each tank and kept mixing to a minimum. A lot of times the fuel report would come after you began to burn the fuel. 
Even if you do every thing right onboard you can be a victim of incompatible fuels being mixed together by the supplier. 

What ever the reason for the debris the settlers and service tanks have to be cleaned more often. Not just for the class requirements. 

http://www.todaystrucking.com/news.cfm?intDocID=15642

Joe


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## billyboy

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=123128 Bit more of a news item about her here. the picture is not too good but does give some idea of what she looked like. Seems to have collected a few battle scars in her life here. She is 33 years old like most here


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## Gavin Gait

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tanawani/491103351/

Thats a better photo of her guys


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## billyboy

you are right Davie. its a much better picture. thanks for posting that link.


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## billyboy

Long range forecasters estimate as many as 16 more typhoons to hit the Philippines between now and December. many as strong as this one.
Work on retrieving the bodies has stopped. Diving has stopped also, due to the fact the ship has chemicals aboard (endosulphan) this is harmful to both humans and the environment


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## doyll

My thoughts go out for the divers too. This kind of recovery work is very hard on to deal with emotionally.


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## billyboy

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=123330

Well well they dont want it salvaged or the bodies removed any more till they get the insurance money sorted out.


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## Ian

Hi Billyboy,
Glad you are alright , it is an absolute disgrace, think the Gov should get her righted, and let the people have their loved ones back, never mind the owner or owner,s, at the end of the day the poor captain will probably take all the blame, as poor soul is not here to answer, but it all goe,s down to Money and greed, SHIPOWNER, History repeating itself over & over again. Rgds Bill


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## billyboy

Plenty of arguments goin on here at the moiment. The owners trying to pass the blame for the disaster as usual. they tried to blame the shippers of dangerous chemicals and that didnt work so now they are blaming the weather forecasters. meanwhile the ship is still upside down on the reef with hundreds of people still trapped inside it. The owners were reluctant to go ahead with salvage/refloating till they could be sure of the full insurance value.
A salvage company is on the way to assess the righting of the ship so the boddies can be recovered.
Sulpicio line hava had all their passenger operations suspended but are allowed to run the freight ships.


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## billyboy

the ship is still upside down on a reef. Salvage people are looking at the possibility of righting her to float her off to assist in the recovery of the bodies still inside her. there are hundreds of drowned people still inside her


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## billyboy

Update: The Princess of the Stars is still upside down on the reef with hundreds of bodies still inside her.
A team of inspectors is expected to arrive from the states to assess the "highly toxic" chemicals inside her. if this was to mix with the sea water the effect on marine life (and human) would be a major disaster.
Salvage companies are waiting to right the ship so that the hundreds of bodies can be recovered. At the moment it is considered to be too dangerous to move her.
All passenger services for the Sulpicio lines have been suspended till inspectors have checked all 14 of their passenger vessels.
A recent comment from an inspector said that ALL passenger ships operating in the Visaya's region of the Philippines are deemed unsafe to be operating.
Will update further when i can
Billyboy


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## billyboy

It appears now that there are other chemicals aboard her being carried illegaly. Experts are worried about the possible reaction if these chemicals mix.
The ship remains upside down on a reef with hundreds of bodies still trapped inside it.
Titan salvage company will be the people to salvage her when the contract eventually gets signed.
Salvage work is expected to commence within 55 days.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=125810

this link shows the trouble the shipping company is in. Everyone here is after suing them and having them out of business due the amount of people they have drowned over the last 21 years


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## dom

*dom*

horrendous story billyboy


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## billyboy

some of these ships have to be seen to be believed.
W % A superferrys seem to be the best around this way. Good safety reckord too. regular boat and fire drills.


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## billyboy

Titan salvage may back out of the contract with the shipping company if they dont their act together and sign it


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## billyboy

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=126238

The latest at the moment. More when i can get it


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## billyboy

*stranded reffy*

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=126238

The latest at the moment. More when i can get it


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## Jeffers

Thanks for keeping us up to date on this, Billy.
These delays must make things very hard for relatives of the victims of this disaster whose bodies are still trapped in the wreck.


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## billyboy

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=126266

Things will get moving at last now then.
I dont envy the people who will have the job of trcing the identity of the bodies inside it though.


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## billyboy

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=126268

Widows of the crew offered P20,ooo (pesos) have refused it. (227 Uk pounds)
Bit cheap from a company who has been responsible for over 5,ooo deaths over the last 20 years


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## billyboy

Titan salvage have signed a contract ot cut a hole in her and remove the toxic chemicals from inside her. after that the remains of hundreds of bodies will have to be removed.
It is hope to be able to right her and tow her away.


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## billyboy

The latest on the ship stranded.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=126919

This is typical of this place!


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## billyboy

Latest news on the sunken ferry

Titan Salvage will commence soon

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=128462


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## billyboy

Salvage work should commence on monday. I understand Titan/smit to be the salvors

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/09/20/08/princess-stars-salvage-operations-may-start-monday


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## billyboy

Latest report...

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/09/20/08/‘nina’-postpones-start-toxic-chemical-retrieval


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## billyboy

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/09/25/08/sulpicio-officials-no-show-doj-proceedings

Hardly a surprise, but a couple of statements.The salvage company Tian are on site now with a large barge with a crane mounted. Divers have located the toxic containers.
There are pictures of a medium sized Tug in attendance with a work boat

Once the chemicals are removed it will be interesting see what they do next. will they right the ship or get the 100's of bodies out first


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## billyboy

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/09/27/08/toxic-chemical-mv-princess-intact-dotc

The toxic cargo is still intact thank goodness.
Titan salvage will get it out of the upturned hull soon. then the 100's of bodies must be removed before they try to right her and tow her off


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## billyboy

It showed on lst nights news. the removal od the toxic chemicals throuh a hole in the upturned hul. Salvage experts said it could take up to a week to get it all out and onto the barge

After that comes the removal of an estimated 500 bodies. These will be taken directly to Cebu for possible identification


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## Steve Woodward

Billy,
Thanks for the updates on this very sad event


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## billyboy

Removal of the toxic cargo "endosulphan" is going better than expected

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/10/03/08/salvors-finish-endosulfan-retrieval-4-5-days


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## billyboy

Toxic cargo almost all out now....

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/10/04/08/govt-eyes-returning-endosulfan-cargo-princess-israel


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## billyboy

The removal of the Endosulphan is now complete. there are other toxic chemicals to come out before the retrieval of the 100's of bodies inside.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/10/06/08/endosulfan-salvaged-princess-manila-bound\


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## billyboy

The toxic cargo is out now. The retrieval off the estimated remains of around 750 bodies will start soon. the bunker fuel will removed first

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/net/2008/10/12/retrieval.of.bodies.from.princess.to.start.soon.html


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## billyboy

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/10/14/08/salvors-recover-78000-liters-fuel-mv-princess

The fuel is being sucked out now. The removal of the 100"s of bodies/remains will be the next priority


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## billyboy

For me it will be very interesting to see what they do to right her. She is upside down with her forard half on a reef and the stern half hanging over a steep drop into deep waters. If they get it right she will float. If she slips, she will go down deep.
Now that so much weight has been removed from her I think we need to pray she will not move in the next typhoon


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## billyboy

Court rules missing Captain at fault for sailing into the teeth of the storm

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/10/14/08/court-junks-sulpicio-suit-vs-pagasa-officials


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## billyboy

News coverage of the retrieval of the bodies is a part sparse I'm afraid. However the remains of 12 passengers have been removed already. Estimated a further 500+ bodies to be found before the actual salvage of the ship can take place. More news when i can get it. the ship is about 500 miles from where i am. 

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/r...ecovered-mv-princess-retrieval-process-begins


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## Don Matheson

Billyboy 
Thanks for keeping us up to date on this. The whole thing has been an awful tragety and the prospect of recovering 500 plus bodies that have been in the sea for this length of time is beyond comprehension.

Don


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## billyboy

A further 8 bodies were removed today with an estimated 20-30 still to be recovered from that particular part of the ship. The economy section down below. (little chance of anyone getting out from there in a hurry) these are being removed first due to the ship being upside down.
Goodnes knows how they are going to get the bodies out from the other decks.
Will keep you all updated as and when i can get the news here.


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## billyboy

The remains of 40 bodies removed so far. taken for DNA identification. It will take a long time for the divers to get the remaining hundreds of bodies out.


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## lesbryan

Whilst on about stranded ships can anyone tell me .What is the name of ship which is stranded stern out of the oggin just off europa point Gibraltar it as been there a few years now it was there when we were last in july this year and october last year !!


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## billyboy

More remains removed from the wreck of the "princess of the stars'

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/net/2008/11/02/113.bodies.found.at.princess.wreck.htm


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## billyboy

More news here.......


AFTER weeks of waiting, a total of 199 bodies retrieved from the sunken mv Princess of the Stars finally arrived in Cebu yesterday.

However, with the bodies in an advanced stage of decomposition after being submerged for nearly five months, some recovered remains were merely body parts.

“But mostly we have bodies that are intact. By intact, it would mean that there is a head and with all lower extremities still there,” said Dr. Renato Bautista, head of the National Bureau of Investigations (NBI) Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team.

Based on initial observations, the bodies that were retrieved from the sunken vessel were mostly those of women and children, added Bautista.
Dr. Bautista, along with Torkjel Rygnestad of the International Police (Interpol) Incident Response Team, stayed in Sibuyan Island for several days to observe the entire retrieval operation.

“We were there to observe the entire process. We saw how each body was placed in a bag. We can assure you that everything will be done in a chain of custody here,” said Rygnestad.

Transportation Undersecretary Elena Bautista assured the public that everything was done for the bodies to be retrieved. She chairs the task force on the mv Princess of the Stars accident.

The retrieval process required constant dives within the vessel and rigorous cleaning of all decks.

“That was the first part, cleaning up the entire vessel. There were things floating within the vessel, from floating chairs and baggage. The baggage was collected, because this might also help in the identification,” said Bautista.

“The bodies were then collected and properly tagged, this was all supervised by Dr. Bautista. This (assures the relatives) that the bodies were properly tagged, and we
even know from which deck the bodies came from,” she added.

Despite the additional bodies retrieved from within the vessel, more than 300 bodies are still missing, as the vessel reportedly carried more than 800 passengers.

With the additional 199 bodies, the total body count has been raised to 513. Eight of these, however, were victims of other vessels.

“We are really trying to figure out scientifically where the bodies are. I personally saw how thorough the entire search was. Maybe they are at the deeper area of the vessel, but they (retrieval team) really checked in the deep areas (of the vessel),” said Bautista.

300

“Some of them must have jumped out, but did not end up on land but instead, somewhere in the ocean… The bodies must have sunk to the bottom of the ocean,” she added.

The task force still has hopes that additional bodies will be found once the vessel is removed from the waters of Sibuyan Island.

“We might be able to sweep through the vessel again and hopefully find additional bodies,” said Bautista.

Acting Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama was dismayed that some 300 bodies remained missing.

“There has to be a conclusive explanation where the 300 bodies are. The relatives will expect an explanation from us, but what will we tell them?” said Rama.

DVI teams will start the postmortem processing and collection of DNA samples of the additional bodies tomorrow. A total of 209 bodies have been identified through positive DNA matches and only 88 bodies of the


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