Ship sinks off Philippines

Ship sinks off Philippines

MANILA (AFP): A Panamanian-registered cargo vessel sank off the northern coast Philippines but all 22 Taiwanese and Indonesian crewmen aboard were rescued by a passing ship, the coast guard said on Friday.

The Excelsior Glory, bound for Taiwan from Indonesia with a cargo of coal, hit an unidentified object which tore a hole in its hull right under the engine room, the coast guard said.

The vessel sent out a distress signal at about 6:45 a.m. (5:45 a.m. Jakarta time) on Friday and all 22 crewmen were rescued by 10:00 a.m., the coast guard said.

The freighter was completely under water in the South China Sea, about 40 nautical miles west of the northern Philippine town of Burgos, by late Friday afternoon, the coast guard said.

Another cargo vessel in the area, the Sanko Prelude, heard the distress call and picked up the three Taiwanese and 19 Indonesian crewmen before the stricken ship went down.