Deep in the bowels of the shipwreck, the
diver opens the container he’s been
looking for. 402 barrels of toxic
chemicals float eerily in the dark
water.
Fairy Lilac was constructed in 1984 by a
leading Japanese ship building company
to operate in Japanese waters. From 1984
to 1990, it would carry up to 554
passengers and 152 trailers across the
rough Japanese sea. The vessel was 193 m
long, 28 m wide, and 14 m deep. During
its service in Japan, it underwent
routine maintenance and minor upgrades
to keep it operational and compliant
with evolving maritime standards. In
February 1990, its owner commissioned
the first minor refitting of Ferry
Lilac. They added 23 more firstass
cabins, a salarium, an outdoor pool at
the sunken deck, sea view corridors, and
the common areas were expanded and
upgraded.
While Ferry Lilac was operating in
Japan, a company called Sulpichio lines
made headlines in the Philippines
shipping industry for a series of
catastrophic maritime disasters. In
1987, the Da Paz collided with the oil
tanker Vector. I’ve made a video about
that disaster where 4,300 people died,
which I’ll link in the video. A year
later, the motor vessel DA Maryland sank
during Typhoon Unang, killing 389
people. In 1998, the motor vessel
Princess of the Orient capsized during
Typhoon Vicki, leading to 150 fatalities
out of the 388 on board. These repeated
tragedies revealed Sulpitio’s
operational failings like poor
maintenance, inadequate safety, and
risky decisions made during bad weather.
Sulpitio lines faced mounting scrutiny
from the public and regulators. So, the
company tried to regain trust with
safety improvements.
In 2004, Sichuial Lines bought Ferry
Lilac and renamed it Motor Vessel
Princess of the Stars, one of the
largest passenger fairies in the
Philippines. The company refitted the
ship to increase passenger capacity from
554 to 1,992
and 160 trailers. It converted parts of
the cargo hold into passenger areas like
cabins, seating, and lounges. The cargo
areas were also reconfigured for more
trailers and enhanced securing systems
and ramps. The interior was upgraded
with air conditioned cabins, improved
dining facilities, and better seating.
Sophisticated navigational equipment was
installed to enhance safety. Princess of
the Stars was placed on shorter routes
compared to its former longer journeys
in Japan. It became the flagship of
Sulpitio lines and a symbol of improved
passenger service and safety following
the scrutiny from previous tragedies.
Its new regular route as a ropeax liner
was Manila to Sibu and vice versa. A

The engineering marvels

ropeax vessel is a type of ship that
combines the features of a roll on roll
off vessel where vehicles are driven on
and off the ship via ramps and a
passenger ferry. In my mind, the
upgrades to the ship seem more in line
with increasing passenger counts and
profitability than with safety.
At 16:45 on the 20th of June 2008, the
weather service predicts that Typhoon
Frank will develop in the eastern seas
and it could intensify as it moves
towards the central Philippines. The
path of Typhoon Frank is expected to
head in a north by west direction
hitting only the Samar and Bol regions.
Princess of the Stars is docked at Pier
12 at the Manila port when it gets a
tropical cyclone wind signal number one
for its Manila to Sibu route. A tropical
cyclone wind signal number one means
that winds between 21 and 33 knots are
expected within the next 36 hours.
That’s considered strong winds, but the
impacts are usually minimal to minor,
and the area has at least 36 hours to
prepare before these winds arrive.
Delmont Philippines is a major food and
beverage exporter. It’s got a pesticide
shipment on board a different situ.
Delmont anticipates that the Philippine
Coast Guard will suspend Paradise’s
voyage the next day because of the
approaching typhoon. But these
pesticides are essential for Delmont’s
fruit plantations and any delays in
shipment would be costly. They arrange
for one 40ft and one 10-ft container to
be loaded on Princess of the Stars
before it departs later that night for
Sibu. The 40ft container has 10 tons of
endosulfen which is a highly toxic
pesticide that’s strictly regulated in
the Philippines and banned in many
countries. The 10-ft container has 500
kg of carbopurine, 390 kg of probanb,
150 L of metamidaphos and 17.5 kg of
nlosomide. These pesticides are labeled
under the international maritime
dangerous goods code 6 or DG6 which is a
category reserved for poisonous
substances. The transportation of DG6
pesticides is not allowed on passenger
fairies, but the International Container
Terminal Services, which is the terminal
operator in the port of Manila, approves
and receives the two containers labeled
DG6, and loads them into Princess of the
Stars.
Captain Florentio Maramon consults with
Sulpichio Lines and decides to make the
journey despite the weather. They
believe the ship’s size and modern
design can handle the storm. In maritime
practice, large vessels like Princess of
the Stars usually weather typhoons by
navigating around the worst parts of the
storm. On the 20th of June 2008 at 2004,
the vessel departs from the port of
Manila bound for Sibu. The ship has 870
people on board. SPIO’s manifest shows
111 crew members and 755 passengers, but
some children and infants aren’t
recorded, and so an exact number is not
clear. Typhoon Frank unexpectedly
changes course at night. The initial
north by west course of the typhoon
changes to a more westerly direction,
moving directly to Manila, Morura, and
Sibuan regions. The typhoon warnings
increase from signal 1 to 3 with winds
of 65 to 92 knots. At 2330, the
Philippine Coast Guard makes an
important announcement and issues a
strict directive ordering all ships to
stay in port and not sail out to sea. If
a ship has already left the port, the
directive advises that the ship seeks
shelter immediately in the nearest safe
harbor. Princess of the Stars is sailing
near Corugodor Island Baton. The
warnings come too late for the ferry,
which is already well within the
typhoon’s grasp. The skies become
darker, the winds pick up, and the waves
grow larger.
At 0500, on the 21st of June, Typhoon
Frank reaches its peak strength. The
weather service announces that several
areas, including Manila, Mura, and
Sabuan Island, are now experiencing
signal 3, and the typhoon’s impact is
severe. At 0630, Pier 12 at the Port of
Manila informs Princess of the Stars not
to proceed on its voyage and to find
shelter instead. Since the westerly path
of the typhoon is evident, the master
decides to change the ship’s passage
plan. But the ship’s engines suddenly
fail, and the engineers can’t revive the
ship’s main engine. Without engine
power, the captain can’t steer the
vessel, and it’s impossible to keep
clear of the storm’s massive waves and
strong winds. Princess of the Stars is
dead in the water, drifting near Sabuan
Island in the RMBlon Province. At 11:30,
the vessel contacts their main office in
Manila about their engine trouble and
the weather conditions. Minutes later,
communication between the vessel and the
Manila office is lost. Sulpichio Lines’s
Manila office contacts other commercial
vessels near Princess of the Stars for
assistance. No one responds.

Environmental and emotional stakes

Back on board, the crew hands out life
jackets. At 11:45, Captain Marammon
gives the order to abandon ship. Minutes
later, the crew hears a very loud sound
coming from below the deck. The ship
begins to list at midday. Several crew
and passengers start jumping into the
water, but most of them aren’t wearing
life jackets. Some people make it onto
life rafts, but the ship’s crew are more
concerned with saving themselves than
helping the passengers. At 12:30, the
crew send a brief distress signal that
the ship is in trouble. This distress
signal is the vessel’s final
communication. Moments later, the ship
begins to tilt and roll over. At 1300,
the ferry capsizes.
At 12:30, the Philippine Coast Guard
receives a distress call and quickly
begins rescue operations. Local
fishermen and the Philippine Navy join
the efforts, but the severe weather
makes the mission extremely dangerous
and the Coast Guard aborts the rescue
attempt. By 1400 on the 22nd of June,
search and rescue teams regroup. Boats
and helicopters scour the area near
Sibuan Island. Debris from the ferry is
scattered across the water and soon
bodies of the passengers are found
floating. A speedboat sent by San
Fernando’s mayor is first to reach the
scene. Princess of the Stars is
partially submerged, showing the tip of
its bulbous bow. The vessel is located
approximately 1.6 nautical miles off the
coast of Saboan Island in 40 m deep
water. The speedboat radios the coast
guard to say that the vessel is resting
partially on the seabed listing on its
port side. Only 5 to 10 m of the bow are
still above the surface. The hull has a
hole that turns out to be the ship’s bow
thruster. Survivors cling to floating
debris, but their numbers are tragically
small. Of the 870 people on board, only
32 are found alive around the ship.
Coast Guard and Navy ships are next to
arrive. Divers are sent into the wreck
to recover bodies trapped inside. The
task is grim and families anxiously
await for updates at Sichio Lines
offices in Manila and Sibu. Victims
families accuse the Philippine Coast
Guard and Sichio lines for negligence
and poor communication while Sichio
lines argues that no warning was issued
against the voyage. On the 23rd of June,
the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard find
40 survivors and recover 39 bodies on
Burus Island in Masbait. But some
survivors are actually from motor vessel
Lake Hawaii, a cargo vessel transporting
5,000 tons of coal from Seamara in
Antique to Toledo City in Sibu that also
sinks in the typhoon. On the 24th of
June 2008, the Coast Guard reports
recovering 115 people, 48 survivors, 67
confirmed dead, and 755
still missing. Navy divers enter the
overturned hull of the ferry, but they
don’t find any more survivors. Inside
the vessel, they discover 15 bodies in
the dining area and two on the bridge.
The interior is so dark and silty that
divers can’t determine if anyone is
still trapped inside the ferry. A US
Navy helicopter from the US Navy ship
Stockholm spots 12 more bodies floating
near Masbait Island, but they aren’t
sure if they’re from Princess of the
Stars or the cargo vessel. Search and
retrieval operations continue over
several days.
On the 27th of June, 6 days after the
accident, recovery efforts come to a
standstill when the salvage team learned
that there are over 10 tons of pesticide
on board Princess of the Stars.
Endosulfen is a neurotoxic insecticide
and it’s acutely toxic. Its presence
raises safety concerns for divers and
turns the wreckage into a potential
environmental disaster. If the chemical
leaks out of the container, it could
poison the waters around Saboyan Island,
posing a severe threat to marine life
and local fishing communities that
depend on the sea for their livelihood.
Alongside these pesticides, there’s
200,000 L of the ship’s bunker fuel.
Sitio lines blames Delmont, claiming
that they didn’t tell Sichio that the
cargo was dangerous. Delmont denies it,
which sparks a legal dispute over the
endulan on board. But Dmont proves the
cargo was clearly labeled poisonous
under maritime regulations. And so
Sulpitio lines is officially held
responsible for the cleanup of the wreck
and containers. The Philippine
government requests assistance from the
United Nations who offer to help with
the pesticides on board the ship.
Between the 9th and 14th of July, the
joint EU UN assessment team, the marine
chemist, the monitoring and information
center, and the toxicologist arrive in
Manila.
[Music]
On the 15th of July 2008, the Philippine
Coast Guard flies over the wreck site to
find oil sticks, but they don’t find
any. Based on endulan solubility and
toxicity, authorities set up a 5 km
exclusion zone around the area to
prevent fishermen and residents from
coming near the wreck and they
temporarily ban fishing. The team test
the water and marine life to identify
pollutants and assess the environmental
impact. They take seawater samples once
a day at four points of the compass, 20
m from the wreck at a constant depth of
33 m, plus a control sample at a
predetermined location in open water.
The team find no trace of toxins in the
water, but there is some marine diesel
leaking from the vessel. This type of
diesel is not persistent, which means if
it’s spilled at sea, it will eventually
evaporate and disperse. But diesel oil
can damage the fabric and seals in
divers dry suits during the salvage
operation.
Silpetual lines contacts Titan Salvage
to remove the two containers and the
ship’s remaining fuel. Titan Salvage
contracts a team of experts from a US
diving company that specializes in
hazardous diving operations, Global
Diving and Salvage, a Guam based company
that specializes in hazardous chemical
mitigation, South Pacific Environmental,
and a Philippine tug and salvage
company, Harbor Star. The salvage team
develops a careful plan to prevent
further pollution while keeping the
workers safe. And on the 24th of
September, they start operations to
recover the ender sulfen. Salvage

The final push: success or costly setback?

experts build a floating platform near
the wreck to serve as a staging area for
operations. Divers and remote operated
vehicles inspect the ship to locate the
40ft and 10-ft containers inside the
ship. They use sonar equipment,
underwater cameras, and mapping tools to
assess the wreck’s condition and
identify access points to the D deck.
The vessel’s orientation and depth in
the strong current create near zero
visibility, and the unstable structure
of the overturn ship means it could
still shift, which puts the divers’s
lives at risk. Divers use hydraulic
cutting tools and underwater welding
torches to create safe 2x 2 1/2 m entry
points into the vessel.
After a few days, the team finds the
40ft container with the endosulan about
26 m underwater near the aft end of the
D deck. The divers confirm that the
container is intact but stuck inside the
cargo hold. They open the container to
check the barrels of endosulfin. There
are 402 drums of enderan each weighing
25 kg. They seal the lids of the barrels
with epoxy resin patches or specialized
wraps to prevent any leaks. Then
carefully extract the barrels,
constantly watching for any signs of a
leak. The divers attach the barrels to a
lift bag which ascends to the surface up
a shot line and the barrels are hoisted
onto the salvage barge. On the 5th of
October, the 40ft container is empty.
The endoculan barrels are taken to a
controlled facility and destroyed.
On the 6th of October, almost 4 months
after the accident, the salvage crew
start to remove the remaining hazardous
cargo from the 10-ft container, which is
about 11 m underwater near the center of
D deck. The container is stabilized
using rigging equipment, and the divers
meticulously extract its contents. By
the 11th of October, all hazardous
materials from the 10-ft container are
removed and destroyed, and the
government lifts the fishing ban. The
next day, divers conduct an assessment
to locate the fuel tanks and determine
the best approach to extract the diesel
oil. A few days later, teams set up
floating containment booms on the
surface around the fuel extraction site
to prevent any potential spills from
spreading. Divers drill into the ship’s
hull to pass their hoses and connect the
fuel tanks. They use submersible fuel
pumps to send the fuel into a
containment tank on a separate barge. By
the 17th of October, the team extract
the last of the 200,000 L of bunker
fuel, completing the operation without
any oil or chemical spills.
From the 27th of October to the 10th of
November 2008, salvage and coast guard
divers recover the remains of 199 people
from the A, B, and C decks. But it’s too
dangerous to search the engine room and
other parts of the ship. The passengers
remains are stored on motor vessel
Tuckon Princess. After 4 months
underwater, many of the recovered bodies
have detached limbs, missing heads, and
disintegrated flesh. Over the next 2
years, the salvage team cut the wreck
into manageable sections. They used
tugboats, floating cranes, and winches
to pull the sections of the wreck to
shallow water approximately 350 m from
the shore at a depth of 24 m. With
better access, an additional 47 sets of
human remains are recovered and handed
over to the National Bureau of
Investigation and the Public Attorney’s
Office for forensic testing. They clean
up the remaining wreckage and debris
from the seabed using grab dredges,
salvage vessels, barges, and cutting
tools.
Only 56 people out of the 870 on board
Princess of the Stars survived. Around
350 bodies were recovered and 464 remain
missing. The total salvage contract cost
still pure lines approximately $7.55
million. The US Supreme Court ordered
the company to pay damages to the
victim’s families of about $4,500
each and $7,000 to the survivors, a
total of $2.2 million. The Marine Board
of Investigation also found Sichio Lines
and its late captain liable and
recommended the suspension of Sulpitio’s
license. In 2009, Sichio lines rebranded
as Philippine Span Asia Carrier
Corporation and shifted entirely to
cargo shipping.
If you’d like to listen or watch these
videos on Spotify, I’ll leave a link
below.