Nearly 4,000 passengers and drivers were stranded at 14 ports nationwide on Thursday as strong winds from Tropical Depression Ada disrupted sea travel, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported Thursday.
Between 8 a.m. and noon, the PCG recorded 1,344 rolling cargoes and 15 vessels stranded, while another 10 ships sought shelter in safe harbors.
The Bicol Region recorded the highest number of stranded passengers, with 1,816 people, 620 rolling cargoes, and nine vessels affected across the ports of Mobo, Pilar, and Castilla.
In Eastern Visayas, eight ports—including San Juan, Saint Bernard, Benit, Padre Burgos, Maasin, Sta. Clara, Dapdap, and Looc—saw 1,340 passengers, 371 rolling cargoes, and five vessels stranded.
Three ports in Northeastern Mindanao, namely Eva Macapagal, Lipata, and Hayanggabon, accommodated 805 passengers, 353 rolling cargoes, and one stranded vessel, with 10 additional vessels taking shelter.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) reported that Ada packs maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour, gusts up to 70 kph, and a wind radius of 400 kilometers from the storm’s center, located east of Surigao City.
Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 has been raised in 12 eastern areas, warning of wind speeds between 39 and 61 kph over the next 36 hours and making sea travel dangerous for vessels in affected regions.
