VESSEL PASSED SAFETY INSPECTIONS
According to the vessel’s manifest, the ferry was carrying 117 passengers and 17 crew members and had a maximum capacity of 330 people. Cayabyab said the vessel had passed safety inspections.
It was also carrying five motorcycles, an electric vehicle, a forklift, a pickup truck and mostly cargo goods, she said.
The Coast Guard will conduct a comprehensive investigation into the fire, Cayabyab said. Asked whether authorities were looking at possible sabotage or a terrorist attack, she said it was too early to draw conclusions and that the investigation was ongoing.
The vessel’s owner, Atienza Inter-Island Ferries, said it was fully cooperating with government authorities investigating the incident.
“We are working around the clock and have mobilised all available resources to manage this crisis,” the company said in a statement, adding it was committed to transparency as the investigation progressed.
Ferry travel is a common mode of transport in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, where millions of people rely on boats to travel between provinces.
The country has a patchy maritime safety record, and many previous ferry disasters have been linked to overcrowding, rough weather and lax enforcement of safety regulations.
