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MV ''Princess of the Stars'' (sometimes mistakenly referred to as ''Princess of Stars'')〔''Princess of the Stars'' is seen on the port side of the ship, but ''Princess of Stars'' is also used by its shipping company, Sulpicio Lines.〕 was a ferry owned by Filipino shipping company Sulpicio Lines. It capsized on June 21, 2008, off the coast of San Fernando, Romblon, at the height of Typhoon Fengshen (PAGASA name: Frank), which passed directly over Romblon as a Category 2 storm. Built in 1984 by Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. Aio, Japan, the 23,824-ton ferry MV ''Princess of the Stars'', formerly MV ''Ferry Lilac'' of Shin Nihonkai Ferry, had a total passenger capacity of 1,992 people. ==Disaster== The ''Princess of the Stars'', flagship of the Sulpicio Lines fleet, left the port of Manila on June 20, 2008, en route to Cebu City. Although Typhoon Fengshen, locally known as Typhoon Frank, had made landfall at Samar Island earlier the same day, the ''Princess of the Stars'' was permitted to sail because the vessel was large enough to stay afloat in the typhoon's periphery. However, Fengshen unexpectedly changed course later that day, placing the ferry in serious danger of being overwhelmed by the storm. At midday on June 21, the ferry sent out a distress signal; radio contact was lost at 12:30 PST (04:30 GMT). The mayor of San Fernando, Nanette Tansingco, sent a speedboat and confirmed that the ferry had a hole in the hull and was partially submerged, and that several bodies had been found nearby. Later reports revealed that the hole in the hull was actually the ship's bow thruster. The total number of people aboard was initially reported as 747 – 626 passengers and 121 crew.〔 On June 23, however, Sulpicio Lines announced that there had been 751 manifested passengers, 81 of whom were children, and 111 crew members, making a total of 862. It is possible that there were more passengers not recorded in the manifest. According to an account given by four survivors, who managed to swim to nearby Sibuyan Island, the ''Princess of the Stars'' had not malfunctioned (as had been previously reported), but ran into rough seas off the coast of Romblon. At 11:30 am, passengers had been told to put on life jackets,〔 and fifteen minutes later, the captain gave the order to abandon ship. The ship began to tilt at around midday.〔 The survivors witnessed many people jumping into the water, while some made it onto life rafts. Many of them were not wearing life jackets, and according to the four survivors, the crew were more concerned with saving themselves than with assisting the passengers.〔 The ferry finally capsized at 6 pm. After the Navy vessel closest to the area had to abort its rescue mission due to "gigantic waves, pounding rain, and gusty winds", according to the spokesman of the Philippine Navy, another rescue ship finally reached the MV ''Princess of the Stars'' more than 24 hours after it lost radio contact. However, Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Senior Grade Arman Balilo said: "They haven't seen anyone. They're scouring the area. They're studying the direction of the waves to determine where survivors may have drifted." By June 23, four bodies had been recovered from the scene by the Coast Guard and the Philippine Navy.〔 〕 Another 35 corpses and 40 survivors washed ashore at Burias Island, Masbate, the same day, but it is likely that the bodies came not only from the ''Princess of the Stars'' but also from other vessels that capsized in the typhoon. Some of the 40 survivors said they came from MV ''Lake Paway'', which departed from Mindanao but later sank at sea. The Philippine Coast Guard reported on June 24, 2008, that it accounted for only 115 (48 survivors confirmed, 67 others confirmed dead, 747 missing) of the 862 passengers and crew of the ''Princess of the Stars''. Navy divers found no survivors inside the wreck when they entered the upturned hulk of the ferry. They did, however, find 15 bodies inside the ship's dining area and two others in the bridge. It was so dark inside the ferry that it was impossible to tell how many more corpses were inside. A helicopter from a U.S. military ship, the , found 12 bodies floating near Masbate island, but it was not clear if they were from the ''Princess of the Stars''. The victims' families accused Sulpicio Lines and the Philippine Coast Guard of negligence in allowing the ship to get underway despite the bad weather. They further blamed Sulpicio for not personally informing them about the tragedy, the details of the accident, and the condition of the ship and passengers. Sulpicio Lines' counsel stated that the ship was never advised by the Coast Guard that it was not safe to sail.〔 President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo demanded an explanation from port authorities: "Why did you allow it to sail and why was there no ample warning? I want answers."〔 The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) ordered the grounding of all Sulpicio Lines vessels, pending an investigation, and Vice President Noli de Castro presided over the first meeting of the newly created "Task Force Princess Stars". Sulpicio Lines offered to pay the bereaved families 200,000 pesos ($4,500) each, by way of compensation. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「MV Princess of the Stars」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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