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Freighter rescued fishermen

15 missing Filipino crew members of the f/v 'Aqua Princess' were rescued by the 'Kumano Maru' after their boat capsized in waters near Bajo de Masinloc in Zambales province on Oct 7, 2020. The freighter was en route to Australia from Zhuhai when they rescued the fishermen approximately 75 nautical miles West of Agno, Pangasinan. They were reportedl. The boat, with 17 crew members onboard, went on a fishing trip on Oct 2 at 9 a.m. On Oct. 7 the vessel started to be battered by big waves and eventually capsized at midnight. Two crew members, Pedro Manalo Jr., 39 and Jerby Regala, 26, who suffered only minor wounds, were then instructed by the captain Eddie Ariño to use their service boat and proceed to the nearest Coast Guard Station to call for help, leaving the rest clinging to the outrigger of the capsized fishing boat in the area. The crew arrived in the morning of Oct 11 at Barangay Cato in Infanta town and reported the said incident to the PCG sub-station. The Coast Guard personnel of the Northern Luzon district, along with the members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the rescue team of Infanta, Pangasinan local government unit (LGU), immediately launched an SAR operation and further requested for the issuance of Notice to Mariners alerting all transiting vessels within the vicinity to be on lookout and render necessary assistance to the fishermen if found. Around 12:30 p.m., the 'Kumano Maru' confirmed that the rescued fishermen were the crew of the 'Aqua Princess.'. They werre taken to the rendezvous area at of Quinawan in Bagac, Bataan andwere turned over to the PCG’s patrol vessel BRP 'Malapascua (MRRV-4403)' at 7 p.m. and taken to the Cunanan Wharf in Manila.