Hundreds of VisMin-bound vehicles stranded at Matnog Port due to damaged ramps
ALMOST 800 vehicles and about 5,000 people were stranded along the highway leading to the Matnog Port in Sorsogon, located in the southeast of Luzon mainland in northern Philippines, due to damaged ramps for roll-on, roll-off and fastcraft vessels, a transport agency reported late Monday.
Matnog Port is the jump-off point for cargo and passenger vehicles traveling from Luzon to Visayas and Mindanao, the central and southern parts of the country.
The Land Transportation Authority’s Bicol regional office, acting upon a request of the local police, issued an advisory appealing to freight haulers and travelers “to cancel or reschedule their trips.”
“Currently, two sea vessel ramps are damaged, causing a slowdown in the loading of vehicles. A total of 796 vehicles and more or less 5,000 individuals are presently stranded at the port,” it said in the advisory.
Achilles Galindes, Philippine Ports Authority manager for Matnog, earlier said the ramps were damaged due to strong waves from abrupt wind changes known as shear line and the northeast monsoon.
Mr. Galindes, in an interview streamed online by government news agency PIA, said repairs are ongoing.
The situation is another blow to the shipment of goods and movement of people, which suffered delays in the second half of December after ports in the Visayas were damaged by typhoon Odette, internationally known as Rai.
Several sea vessels serving the Luzon-Visayas route were also damaged. — MSJ
