The 55,652-dwt Alam Manis was transporting bulk nickel ore from Loreto Dinagat, the Philippines to Lianyungang, China, carrying with it 21 Filipino crew members.
On 17 July, the vessel listed to 20 degrees starboard and a decision was subsequently made within hours to evacuate the ship.
With the assistance of a salvage tug Salviscount, all 21 crew have been accounted for, but the company regrets that there was one casualty, MBC said in a statement.
The vessel departed the Philippine port on 12 July and the listing first occurred on 15 July when Alam Manis was about 225 nautical miles southeast of Taiwan. Two of the ship’s cargo holds shifted due to rough seas, resulting in the vessel initially listing by 14 degrees starboard.
The salvage tug Salviscount was despatched to assist Alam Manis on 16 July, escorting it towards San Fernando in north Luzon. But the listing worsened to 20 degrees last Friday.
Arrangements were made to stabilise the vessel and discharge cargo before towing it to a repair yard for repairs.
“We are deeply saddened that one of our colleagues onboard the Alam Manis has lost his life during an emergency situation on the ship,” said Kuok Khoon Kuan, ceo of MBC.
MBC said it will undertake an internal investigation and cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities investigating this tragic accident. It added that the investigations will take some time to complete.
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