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Published by the Bohol Chronicle
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The preliminary investigation of the sea accident involving a passenger fast craft vessel and a barge awaits the statement of the ship captain of M/V Ocean Jet 3 until yesterday afternoon.

PCG Bohol Station Commander William Isaga said that without the statement of the vessel's ship captain, he could not submit his initial findings and recommendations to the Special Board of Marine Inquiry in Cebu City which will conduct the investigation.

Isaga said that patron Emmanuel Corpus of barge "ASC Valerie" in his sworn statement claimed that there were two lights at the barge since one of its two generators was operating while they were on anchorage at the inner anchorage area. Their position, Corpus said, was cleared by the Harbor Pilot awaiting availability of a berthing space at the Tagbilaran City Port.

Corpus likewise said that eight crew members who were atop the barge saw the approaching Ocean Jet 3, and in fact, waved a flashlight to further alert the ship captain. However, they noticed that the vessel was still on a speed beyond the allowable 8 knots, which is the prescribed speed as a vessel approaches a port.

For his part, Renato Alforque, of M/T Wilbert, a tugboat, stated in his sworn statement that his boat was no longer at the accident site when Ocean Jet 3 hit the barge since he already docked to the pier in order to meet the consignee of the sand and gravel loaded at the barge from Leyte.

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