Seafarer from Iloilo dies in vessel capsizing

Seafarer from Iloilo dies in vessel capsizing
Rjay Zuriaga Castor April 22, 2025 https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/04/22/regions/seafarer-from-iloilo-dies...

ILOILO CITY — A 24-year-old seafarer from Leon, Iloilo province was among the casualties when the Chinese-flagged dredging vessel he was working on capsized off the coast of Occidental Mindoro on April 15, 2025.

Mark Dave Calopez, serving as an engine cadet, was aboard the MV Hong Hai 16.

The ship, carrying 25 crew members — 13 Filipinos and 12 Chinese — lost stability and overturned near Barangay Malawaan in Rizal town while carrying 7,400 cubic meters of sand.

Calopez had been on the vessel for six months as part of his apprenticeship after graduating in 2023 from St. Therese MTC Colleges in Tigbauan.

His father, Vicente Calopez, shared in an interview with local radio station K5 News FM Iloilo that his son planned to surprise the family with a visit the following week. His last conversation with his son was through a video call on April 12.

For a moment, the family clung to hope when reports surfaced that a survivor shared the same name. But it was later clarified that the survivor was another man from New Lucena, Iloilo.

The family's worst fears were confirmed when they recognized Mark Dave's body through a Facebook livestream of the retrieval operations. His father said the confirmation came from both visual recognition and a second mate who served with his son.

The Philippine Coast Guard recovered Mark Dave's remains on April 17 inside a cabin on the vessel's main deck.

The number of fatalities from the incident has risen to nine and two crew members remain missing as of Sunday, April 20.

The owner of MV Hong Hai 16 has contracted a professional salvor to undertake salvage operations, with equipment expected to arrive on-site by Monday, April 21.

Occidental Mindoro Gov. Eduardo Gadiano on Monday issued a cease and desist order against Bluemax Tradelink Inc., the company behind the dredging activity in Occidental Mindoro. "Your company is hereby directed to cease and desist from conducting any dredging operations and related activities in the assigned area. Accordingly, the Notice to Proceed issued to your company is hereby temporarily suspended, until further notice," the order read.