Barred vessel in Bacolod to proceed to Iloilo

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Philippine Coast Guard -Negros Occidental chief, Lt. Commander Jansen Benjamin said Tuesday that the vessel from China that was barred from docking here will proceed to Iloilo Wednesday to unload its cargo.

Benjamin told Daily Guardian here that the shipping agent told him that the cargo consignee has agreed to unload the fertilizer cargo in Iloilo.

The 3,300-metric ton cargo vessel M/V Unicorn Bravo, which came from Xiamen, China, arrived in Bacolod waters Monday last week.

The vessel has 15 Chinese crewmembers and four from Myanmar.

The vessel, however, was barred from berthing at the Bredco port after Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia issued an executive order prohibiting vessels from China from docking here.

M/V Unicorn Bravo has since then dropped its anchor 5 to 7 kilometers from the Bredco port, Benjamin said, adding that it has completed the quarantine period of 14 days since it departed from China last Feb 19 .

“But because of the executive order of the mayor it will not still be allowed to dock at the Bredco port,” he added.

He also said the vessel will reach Iloilo port in less than a day.