MANILA, Jan23,2012(AFP):The MV Sun Spirit was carrying iron ore bound for China when the accident occurred while passing in waters off the island of Catanduanes.The exact cause of the accident has not yet been determined, officials said, but maritime accidents are frequent in perennially turbulent waters off the country’s eastern side facing the Pacific Ocean.Meanwhile Saturday, a domestic cargo ship carrying 35,000 bags of cement and 9,000 litres of diesel fuel sank in central Philippine waters after a floating log punctured its hull.The vessel’s 18-man crew abandoned the vessel before it went down, and all of themhave been accounted for, the coast guard said.An official added that oil containment booms had been deployed in the area in case of leaks. A Panama-registered cargo ship sank off the Philippines’ eastern seaboard on Sunday, but all 14 crew members were rescued, the coast guard said.
