Authorities in the Philippines are investigating how a commercial tanker veered off course and collided with the Philippine Navy’s newest and biggest ship.
The Philippine Navy said the tanker MT Tasco struck the side of the BRP Tarlac Monday night off the coast of Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines. Reports indicate that the Navy ship was moored at the time of the collision.
The Tarlac suffered minor damaged to its right forward rail and a side ramp while the tanker suffered mostly cosmetic damage to its hull, reports said.
The Tarlac was only recently commissioned in June and is the first of two strategic sealift vessels (SSVs) built for the Philippine Navy by PT PAL shipyard in Indonesia.
Not only is it the newest ship in the fleet, it is also the largest in the Philippines Armed Forces, displacing 7,000 tonnes and 11,538 tonnes in standard and full load, respectively.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
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