Tug SL Sual 1 Capsizes and Sinks During Refloat Off Luzon
All ten aboard jumped clear as the workboat rolled over and sank by the stern
A tug that had run aground off the coast of western Luzon capsized in gentle swells on Monday morning, forcing its crew to jump over the side just yards from shore.
The SL Sual 1 had been intentionally grounded near the Bucao River in Barangay Bangan, Zambales, on August 14 in an attempt to prevent it from sinking. The vessel had sustained a hole in the hull followed by engine room flooding, the Philippine Coast Guard said. The operator drew up salvage plans and dispatched a second tug to tow it off the beach.
At about 0745 hours on Monday the refloat operation was under way and towing had commenced when a loud banging sound was heard, possibly a sign of contact with an underwater obstruction. Shortly afterwards, the SL Sual 1 began listing to starboard. The list became progressively worse, and it became clear the workboat was going to capsize.
The crew abandoned ship over the port side as the tug slowly rolled over. All ten personnel made it off safely by jumping into the water. Within seconds the tug began sinking by the stern, its bow pointed skyward, and the prow vanished below the surface in less than two minutes.
Beaching a flooded vessel to keep it out of deep water is standard practice, but it leaves the hull resting on an uncharted bottom for as long as the salvage plan takes to assemble. Any refloat then has to break the ground contact without opening the damage further, and the sudden list points to downflooding once the hull came free.
The coast guard puts around 4,000 gallons of diesel on board. Spill response gear is staged nearby if needed, and the agency has stood up a beach patrol to watch for any signs of pollution coming ashore.
An investigation into the cause of the casualty is under way, and the coast guard is examining whether the tug may have made contact with the remains of a previous shipwreck, causing the original hull damage.
