117 Rescued as Passenger Vessel Runs Aground in Occidental Mindoro

All 117 passengers and crew members were safely evacuated after the roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessel MV Roromaster 5 ran aground near Sitio Sigman, Barangay Udalo, early Thursday morning, September 17, 2026.

According to Geoffrey Panganiban, head of the Abra de Ilog Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), emergency teams responded immediately after receiving reports of the incident at around 12:30 a.m.. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) stated that the vessel hit the seabed roughly 30 meters from the shoreline.

Initial declarations from the ship’s operator indicated that the vessel departed from Batangas Port carrying 80 passengers, 24 units of rolling cargo, and 37 crew members. By 7:00 a.m., all 117 individuals had safely disembarked the vessel. Multi-agency response teams—including the PCG, MDRRMO, Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), and the PNP Maritime Group—provided essential services such as medical check-ups, food, water, and transportation.

Stranded passengers who were en route to Sablayan and San Jose are currently staying temporarily at the Abra de Ilog Passenger Terminal. Meanwhile, drivers and helpers of the rolling cargo remain at the port area awaiting the recovery of the vessel. The PCG has launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the grounding and to inspect the area for potential fuel or oil leaks.

Courtesy: MDRRMC & Reynan Agustin; via Abra de Ilog Emergency Response Operations