The 114 meter long, 8700 dwt bulk freighter Chang Da 12 went aground and broke-in-two near the coast of Pangasinan, Philippines.  The freighter was in rough seas with 6,000 tons of bitumen in the cargo hold when the hull cracked just forward of the engine room.   As waves smashed into the hull of the Chang Da 12, the crack grew until the bow section broke free.   Reports state some of the cargo spilled into the ocean, but would not cause harm to the environment.   The Philippine Coast Guard has arranged salvage for the vessel.   No further details reported.

 

The Chang Da-12 has wrecked once before near the same area.   The freighter struck the rocky shoreline of Aren Point along Barangay Abagtanen in Agno on December 19, 2011 while loaded with more than 6,000 metric tons of coal from Indonesia en route to China.  The vessel was reported then as being severely deteriorated and considered extremely unseaworthy.   The Coast Guard report stated that cargo vessel suffered engine trouble and steering problem causing it to go adrift before it eventually ran aground. The ship’s master order the crew to abandoned ship and they were rescued by local fisherman in the area.