Navy recovers Malaysian barge reported missing in West PHL Sea

From GMA News (Jun 27): Navy recovers Malaysian barge reported missing in West PHL Sea

The Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command has recovered a Malaysian-owned civilian barge found abandoned near Hasa-Hasa Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

In a statement, 1st Lt. Cheryl Tindog, spokesperson of the AFP's Western Command, said the barge, identified as Malaysian-flagged "Hub 18" and transporting about a hundred container vans, was towed to Ulugan Bay in Palawan around 7 a.m. Friday.

The abandoned barge was sighted by a fishing vessel around five nautical miles from Hasa-Hasa Shoal, Tindog said.

She said the Western Command conducted a search and rescue mission after officials from Coast Guard Palawan District reported an incident involving a missing civilian barge and tugboat.

The Western Command then immediately dispatched Philippine Navy Islander 314 to conduct an aerial search, she added.

The barge will be anchored at Ulugan Bay while Philippine authorities continue to coordinate with the Malaysian owner, Tindog said.

She added that the owner of the barge has confirmed that its crew members were rescued by a Vietnamese boat on June 22 and were brought to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia.

"The owner said a tugboat will be sent to tow the barge back to Malaysia," she added.

According to a Philippine Navy international liaison officer in Singapore, the container vans on Hub 18 contain cars, parts, frozen fish and personal effects.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/367648/news/regions/navy-recovers-malaysian-barge-reported-missing-in-west-phl-sea