LEGAZPI CITY (PIA) -- Even as the barge was allowed to dock at Lidong Port in Sto. Domingo in Albay on Friday morning, its towing vessel with COVID-infected Filipino seafarers from Indonesia on board will remain anchored in Albay Gulf for an indefinite period.

Barge Claudia, which was carrying nearly 8,000 metric tons of coal as cargo, was tilting dangerously to her starboard side, prompting the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to bring the vessel to the port.

Captain Wilmo Maquirang, deputy commander of PCG District in Bicol, said the barge showed signs of capsizing and was in danger of creating an environmental disaster off the coast of Albay.

“Kapag tumaob po ang Claudia, mas malaking environmental issue. Marami po ang maapektuhan lalo na sa ecosystem, marine biodiversity at sa kabuhayan ng local fishermen (If Claudia capsizes, there will be a bigger issue on environment. Many will be affected, particularly the ecosystem, marine biodiversity, and the livelihood of local fishermen)," Maquirang said.

The barge was disinfected before 16 workers brought in by the PCG took over to bring the vessel to shore.

Meanwhile, all 19 crew members of M/V Tug Clyde, which remained about 200 meters from ashore, stayed in isolation in the towing vessel, according to Maquirang.   

On top of this, Maquirang assured that nearby vessels were barred from moving close to the towing vessel and the barge.  

“Walang makakalapit na sasakyang pandagat at walang makakababa na crew, upang ma-kontrol ang pagkalat ng virus (No vessel can come close to the barge and the towing vessel and the latter’s crew cannot alight to control the spread of the virus.),” he said.

The crew, 11 of whom have tested positive for COVID-19, will remain in isolation in the tugboat until at least the release of the results of the RT-PCR tests that they will undergo next week.

Barge Claudia and MV Tug Clyde arrived in Albay on Tuesday morning but the task force formed by the Office of Civil Defense ordered the vessel to remain ashore to make sure Albay residents are not put on risk since the infected crewmembers came from Indonesia, a country currently being ravaged by the Delta coronavirus, reportedly the most transmissible COVID-19 variant and associated with increased hospitalization. (KAB/PIA5)