10:44 AM, Thursday 01/01/15.
“Nakakahilo na dagat + Hangover + Kulang ng tulog = Seasick — Feeling Nauseous,”
Alexis Thomas Bacalla, a Dabawenyo ship officer of cargo ship Bulk Jupiter, posted on his Facebook account. A day before his ship sank.
January 2, Friday, the cargo ship Bulk Jupiter submerged 150 nautical miles off the coast of southern Vietnamese city of Vung Tau with 19 Filipino crews. One of them is Bacalla.
Beforehand, Bacalla even had a conversation with his family and is able to greet them a happy new year but turns out a sorrowful embrace of 2015 for his loved ones.
5:29, Friday 01/02/15
“Dri sa ilalom pinas … padulong bagyo sa amoa… bandang Vietnam,”
Bacalla commented. The last words his family would remember of him.
The Vietnamese rescue force had received an SOS call from the vessel 7:00 AM, Friday, January 2.
The Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (Vietnam MRCC), which is leading the search and rescue operation, said the rescued crew member was the ship’s chief cook, while one of the confirmed dead was the ship’s captain.
The report quoted Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Asec. Charles Jose as saying the Philippine Embassy in Hanoi is coordinating with Vietnam authorities to gather more information about the sinking of Bulk Jupiter.
“As always, we stand ready to extend all necessary and appropriate assistance to the ship’s Filipino crew members and their families,” said Jose in a statement.
According to Gearbulk’s, a Bermuda-based company, which owns the ship, the Bulk Jupiter, on its website, the cargo ship left Kuantan, Malaysia on December 30 last year carrying 46, 400 metric tons of Bauxite on its five cargo holds. Bauxite is an ore which is the world’s main source of aluminum.
News Source(s): abdavao.com, pinoyrepublic.info, manilastandardtoday.com, kickerdaily.com