MV Lady Mary Joy 3

MV Lady Mary Joy 3 is a passenger ferry owned and operated by Aleson Shipping Lines.^[1] Originally known as MV Daito,^[2] she was acquired by Aleson Shipping in July 2011.

Lady Mary Joy 3

MV Lady Mary Joy 3 at Zamboanga International Seaport
History
Name	Lady Mary Joy 3
Owner	Aleson Shipping Lines
Operator	Aleson Shipping Lines
Port of registry	Port of Zamboanga,  Philippines
Route	Zamboanga City - Jolo, Sulu
Builder	Yamanaka Shipbuilding & Iron Works Imabari, Japan
Completed	1990
Acquired	July 2011
Identification	IMO number: 9006760 MMSI number: 548032400 Callsign: DUJ2272
Status	Caught fire on March 29, 2023; currently inactive
Notes	MV Daito up until July 2011
General characteristics
Type	Passenger Ferry
Tonnage	835 tons
Length	73m

Career

By the time she was commissioned for Aleson Shipping Lines, she became the regular ferry for Zamboanga City to Jolo, Sulu.

Following the incident involving MV Danica Joy in September 2016, the Philippine Embassy in Malaysia demanded an alternative transport for Sandakan, Malaysia to Zamboanga City knowing that the number of Filipino deportees in Sabah numbered at 7,000.^[3] At that time, MV Danica Joy was the lone ferry that served the Zamboanga City - Sandakan route and the operator, Aleson Shipping Lines was suspended for a month to operate the said route. When the suspension was lifted in November 2016, MV Lady Mary Joy 3 was temporarily assigned to ferry the deportees back to the Philippines while MV Kristel Jane 2 took the Zamboanga City - Jolo route.^[4][5]

2023 fire

Lady Mary Joy 3 fire aftermath

On March 29, 2023, MV Lady Mary Joy 3 caught fire off Baluk-Baluk Island, Hadji Muhtamad, Basilan while traveling to Jolo, Sulu from Zamboanga City. The fire, which began around 10:40 p.m., lasted until 7:30 a.m. of the following day.^[6] She was towed to the province's coast and beached.^[7][8]

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported on April 5 that the ferry was carrying a total of 249 individuals;^{[note 1]} 216 of them survived.^{[note 2][9]} Thirty-three deaths were reported by April 13.^{[note 3]} Search, rescue, and retrieval operations became difficult due to an inaccurate manifest;^[6] as well as identification of the burned remains of the reported fatalities.^[19]

According to the Bureau of Fire Protection, the most probable cause of fire is an electric short circuit.^[20]

Notes

1. That consisted of:

   • A 35-member crew and at least 205 passengers, twenty of them are from the Army,^[9] according to the manifest.^[10]
   • A security contingent of four Coast Guard and five Army personnel.^[9]
2. Survivors include the entire crew and all Coast Guard marshals,^[10][11] as well as twenty-three of the soldiers.^[12]
   
   However, Basilan PDRRMO, by April 4, reported 223 survivors.^[11]
3. Fatalities include:

   • First to be reported were eleven drowned and seventeen whose burned remains were later recovered inside the ferry.^[13]
   • Five more bodies were later retrieved: one near Sicagot Island on April 4 and two between Lampinigan and Baluk-Baluk Islands, April 5;^[9] one near Langgas Island, April 9;^[14] one off Hadji Mohammad Ajul, April 11.^[15]

   Upon the recovery of the remains of the last missing passenger, the PCG, on April 13, said all are accounted for.^[16] However, the Basilan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said two more passengers remain missing^[16] based on the list gathered in coordination with the Sulu PDRRMO, considering that 16 of the 18 listed names of those missing are those still unidentified charred remains.^[17][18]

References

1. "Aleson Shipping Lines Official Website". aleson-shipping.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
2. "Lady Mary Joy 3 - 9006760 - Passenger Ship | Maritime-Connector.com". maritime-connector.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
3. Montano, Efren (August 6, 2020). "Malaysia booting out 7K Pinoys in Sabah". People's Journal.
4. "400 undocumented Filipinos deported from Sabah". November 15, 2016.
5. "400 Pinoys sent home from Sabah in first wave of Malaysia deportation". November 17, 2016.
6. Joviland Rita (March 31, 2023). "Inaccurate manifest posing challenge to Basilan ferry fire search ops —official". GMA News Online. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
7. "Death toll from Philippine ferry fire rises to 31". Al Jazeera. March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
8. Jim Gomez (March 30, 2023). "Philippine ferry fire leaves 31 dead, at least 7 missing". Associated Press. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
9. Martin Sadongdong (April 5, 2023). "3 more bodies recovered after ferry fire; death toll now at 31". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
10. Jim Gomez (March 31, 2023). "Death scene in burned ferry moves Filipino rescuers to tears". Associated Press. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
11. Julie Alipala (April 5, 2023). "Ferry fire victims' kin protest end of search". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
12. Frencie Carreon (April 19, 2023). "Soldiers who survived ferry mishap off Basilan undergo counselling". MindaNews. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
13. Sundy Locus (March 31, 2023). "Basilan ferry fire death toll cut to 28". GMA News. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
14. GMA Integrated News (April 9, 2023). "Coast Guard retrieves another Basilan ferry fire victim's body; death toll now 32". GMA News Online. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
15. GMA Integrated News (April 13, 2023). "Body of last missing passenger in Basilan ferry fire recovered, death toll now 33 —PCG". GMA News Online. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
16. Robertzon Ramirez (April 14, 2023). "Basilan ferry fire: All missing victims accounted for – PCG". The Philippine Star. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
17. Roel Pareño (April 12, 2023). "Basilan ferry fire: Body part recovered". The Philippine Star. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
18. Roel Pareño (April 15, 2023). "Basilan PDRRMO: 2 ferry passengers still missing". The Philippine Star. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
19. Daphne Galvez (April 10, 2023). "OCD: 19 people still missing after Basilan ferry fire". Inquirer.net. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
20. Citations:

    • "BFP: Electrical short circuit 'most probable cause' of Basilan ferry fire". CNN Philippines. April 3, 2023. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
    • Richard Falcatan (April 4, 2023). "Investigators say faulty wirings may have caused ferry fire in Basilan". Rappler. Retrieved April 4, 2023.

External links

• Official website
• MV Lady Mary Joy 3 Specs - Maritime Connector
• MV Lady Mary Joy 3 Specs - Shipsinfo