Maritime collision an accident, no Chinese vessels involved — PCG

THE maritime collision that killed three Pinoy fishermen was an accident and no Chinese vessel involvement, said the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Thursday.

Commodore Jay Tarriela also clarified that the incident happened in Pangasinan and not in the immediate vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc.

Tarriela said the area where the collision transpired was 180 nautical miles from Agno, Pangasinan.

Likewise, based on the initial investigation, Tarriela said the incident was not deliberate.

“Based on the statements made by the Filipino fishermen, the area was very dark due to the adverse weather conditions at that time. So there is a possibility that the fishing boat was not noticed by the other vessel,” he said.

Tarriela also stressed that Chinese vessels were not involved in the incident.

Speculations were rife that China may have been involved following reports that this occurred in Bajo de Masinloc, an area in the West Philippine Sea where numerous encounters happened between Chinese and Filipino ships due to conflicting territorial claims.

FFB Dearyn with 14 crew members was moored to an anchored fish float when the accident transpired at 4:20 a.m. on Monday.

Three Filipino fishermen were killed while 11 crew members of the vessel survived.