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Passengers of an inter-island vessel were spared from near sea disaster after the vessel violently tilted and ran aground in the shallow waters off Roxas, Mindoro.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) based in Caticlan, Malay, Aklan said the Super Shuttle Ferry 2, a roll on, roll off (RoRo) vessel, was carrying 197 passengers aboard, including the crew, when the incident happened.

The vessel was cruising the Mindoro shore when whipped by sudden big waves that caused the ship to tilt sideways.

The ship’s violent movement scared and caused panic among passengers aboard.

The alert ship captain steered the vessel to safety but when he sensed danger of getting capsized, he decided to have the ship ran aground toward the vicinity of Roxas shoreline to avoid the would-be tragedy.

RoRo vessel left Caticlan port in Malay, Aklan early Friday morning on its way to Mindoro. Apart from passengers, the RoRo vessel was also carrying 22 rolling cargoes and two passenger buses aboard.

The Coast Guard said turbulent seas prevailed elsewhere in the area brought about by forecast entry of a new typhoon. - PNA