Fastcrafts have cancelled first trips to Cebu this morning as vessels from Cebu failed to sail back to Bohol last night.
This, after boat captains decided not to voyage from Cebu to Bohol starting from the trips scheduled at 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. yesterday which were expected to arrive here at past 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., respectively.
As a result, the last trips yesterday of Tagbilaran-Cebu route from 6 p.m. onwards had also been cancelled.
Vessels expected to arrive here at past 8 p.m. yesterday are also not available for today’s early trips back to Cebu.
Fast crafts companies explained that while there had been no order from the Philippine Coast Guard to cancel trips, the boat captains decided on their own due to rough seas.
The PCG said they could not decide to advise cancellation of trips since there was no gale warning from the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
Vessels plying the earlier trips from Tagbilaran City yesterday experienced the rough seas and managed to reach Cebu City.
The sea just calmed by the evening.
“As of today, there is no Gale Warning Issued. As of today, there is no weather Advisory issued,” as PAGASA stated on its bulletin yesterday.
However, PAGASA issued an advisory at 10 p.m. yesterday that “thunderstorm is more likely to develop over Metro Cebu within 12 hours”.
At 11:30 p.m., PAGASA terminated “all thunderstorm advisories over Mindanao”.
At 11 p.m., PAGASA warned that Tropical Depression Maring “has intensified into a tropical storm and [was moving] towards the West Philippine Sea”.
However, the Visayas area is spared as “moderate to occasionally heavy rains is [only] expected over Zambales and Bataan while light to moderate with occasionally heavy rains during thunderstorms will be experienced over Tarlac, Pampanga and Bulacan”.
“Residents in these areas are alerted against possible landslide and flashfloods,” according to PAGASA.
“TS Maring is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR)” tonight or early morning Thursday.
At 11 p.m. yesterday, PAGASA also monitored Typhoon Lannie as having “maintained its strength while moving in a west – northwest direction”at at 22 kilometers per hour.
PAGASA traced the location of its eye or center at 10 p.m. yesterday at 655 kilometers east northeast of Basco, Batanes with strength maximum sustained winds of 125 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 155 kph.
By tonight, the storm is expected to be 585 km north northeast of Basco, Batanes which is already outside PAR.