MV Princess of the Orient

MV Princess of the Orient

Princess of the Orient was the former Sun Flower 11, while she is still in Japan
History
Japan
Name	1973-1990: Sun Flower 11 1990-1993: Sun Flower Satsuma
Owner	1973-1990: Nippon Kosoku Ferry Co., Ltd. 1990-1993: Blue Highway Line
Operator	1973-1990: Nippon Kosoku Ferry Co., Ltd. 1990-1993: Blue Highway Line
Port of registry	1974-1990: Tokyo 1990-1993: Matsuyama
Route	Osaka – Kagoshima
Builder	Shin Kurushima Dockyard Co. Ltd., Onishi Plant, Japan
Cost	¥ 6 Billion
Laid down	4 December 1973
Launched	23 September 1974
Completed	9 September 1974
In service	1 October 1974
Out of service	March 1993
Identification	IMO number: 7373561
Fate	Sold to Sulpicio Lines
Philippines
Name	MV Princess of the Orient
Owner	Sulpicio Lines
Operator	Sulpicio Lines
Port of registry	Cebu City, Philippines
Route	Manila – Cebu City
Maiden voyage	June 1993
Out of service	18 September 1998
Fate	Foundered and sank during the onslaught of Typhoon Vicki on September 18, 1998.
General characteristics
Class and type	ROPAX Cruiseferry
Tonnage	13,935 GT
Length	195.81 m
Beam	24.0 m
Depth	8.6m
Installed power	Kawasaki MAN V9V52/55
Propulsion	Dual propellers
Speed	26.87 knots (Max)
Capacity	3,994 passengers and crew, 84 trucks, 191 cars (max)

The MV Princess of the Orient was a passenger ferry owned by Sulpicio Lines that sank off Fortune Island, near the provinces of Cavite and Batangas in the island of Luzon, The Philippines on September 18, 1998. The ship was originally built in Japan as Sun Flower 11 (Japanese: さんふらわあ11, romanized: Sanfurawā 11) in 1974 where she served as a cruise ferry before being sold to Sulpicio Lines in 1993.^[1]

Background[]

The ship was built in 1973 by Shin Kurushima Dockyard as one of the five ships in the Sun Flower series for Nippon Kosoku Ferry Co., Ltd. (Japanese: 日本高速フェリー, romanized: Nippon Kosoku Ferī) in Japan and was named as the Sun Flower 11 (Japanese: さんふらわあ11, romanized: Sanfurawā 11). The vessel was designed differently from the other ships of the fleet as it resembles a cruise ship of its era such as the installation of two funnels and a rounded superstructure. It entered service on the Osaka-Kagoshima route on October 1, 1974. In November 1990, the ship was transferred to the Blue Highway Line and it was renamed Sun Flower Satsuma (Japanese: さんふらわあ さつま, romanized: Sanfurawā Satsuma). She had a weight of 13,935 gross tons^[2][3] and was 195.7 meters long. She had a full capacity of 3,995 passengers and crew.

After 19 years of service in Japan, She was eventually sold to Sulpicio Lines in 1993. Because of her sheer size, length, and beauty, she became the flagship of the whole Sulpicio Lines fleet. As the flagship vessel, she was refitted to Sulpicio-specific standards such as additional cargo ramp on the starboard bow and extension of passenger decks. At that time, she was the largest and the most luxurious Philippine-based passenger ferry to enter service until the arrival of MV Princess of the Stars and she is also the only Philippine-based ferry at that time to be equipped with automatic stabilizers. However, it remained un-operational while in service under Sulpicio Lines due to a fire while the ship is under drydock maintenance. Prior to her sinking, she has a list to her port side, a sign which was inconsequential until 5 years later.^[4]

Sinking[]

On September 18, 1998 around almost 10 PM, the Princess of the Orient sailed from Manila to Cebu City during the onslaught of typhoon Vicki. Initially, a list of three degrees was observed at the portside, which had continuously increased. At the same, time, winds and waves were hitting the ship on its starboard side. The waves were at least seven to eight meters in height and the wind velocity was 25 knots. In addition, due to the large swells and excessive movement, the solid and liquid cargo below the decks shifted it's weight to port, contributing to the tilted position of the ship. The captain soon ordered to reduce the speed of the ship to 14 knots, while also ordering to put ballast water to the starboard-heeling tank, hoping to stop the continuous listing of the ship. However this action was in vain, as the vessel was already listing between 15 to 20 degrees to her portside.

In spite of being in a dangerous situation, the captain performed various starboard maneuvers, which added to the ship’s tilting. As the ship was already inclined to an angle of 15 degrees along with the instantaneous movement of the ship, the cargoes below deck completely shifted it's position and weight towards portside. Two hours after leaving Manila harbor, the ferry tilted 30 to 45 degrees to its port side, making it impossible to recover. The ship foundered at 12:55 a.m. near Fortune Island and sank. Of the 388 passengers on board, 150 were killed. Either being trapped inside the ferry or being swept away by the waves, which they eventually drowned. The remaining survivors were floating at sea for more than 12 hours before rescuers were able to reach them.^[5]

Wreck[]

The wreck is resting on her Port side at 122 meters (400 ft) below sea level near Fortune Island.^[6] In the early 2000s, John Bennett and Ron Loos made the first scuba dives to the wreck site. It appeared probable that the cause of the sinking was due to the cargo on the ship not being lashed properly. The rough seas from Typhoon Vicki caused the cargo of the ship to shift, thus causing the ship to tilt to one side, resulting in the sinking.^[7]

In 2018 and 2019, a mixed gas 5-man international rebreather team captured images of the wreck and explored it, at depths up to 128m.^[8]

Notes and references[]

External links[]

• Ship Awry
• Safety in the High Seas

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