This is a list of notable maritime disasters in the Philippines that resulted in at least five deaths. This includes both freshwater and seawater incidents.
20th century Maritime Vessel Shipping line Date Deaths Missing Survivors Remarks SS Corregidor Compania Maritima 17 December 1941 900–1,200 282 The ferry was sailing to the Visayas and was carrying around 1200-1500 passengers, mostly refugees fleeing the bombing of Manila by the Japanese during the Second World War, when it struck a mine off Corregidor Island and sank in five minutes. Baby Princess 12 June 1970 22 22 The fishing boat capsized in a violent storm 300 miles southwest of Manila. The dead were devoured by sharks. MV Pilar II Rio y Compañía 19 August 1959 89 Unknown Unknown An overloaded inter-island cargo vessel sank during strong waves off Cabuli Point, El Nido, Palawan. Unnamed boat 29 August 1976 19 A boat capsized in the Davao River. MV Don Juan Negros Navigation 22 April 1980 176 115 745 MV Don Juan was a luxury liner bound for Bacolod. At 10:30 p.m. (PST), it collided with an oil tanker, MT Tacloban, off Tablas Strait in Mindoro. 15 minutes later, the vessel sank to a depth of 1,800 feet. The vessel was carrying 1,004 passengers, but it was only cleared to carry 864 persons – including its crew. BRP Datu Kalantiaw Philippine Navy 21 September 1981 79 0 18 The and flagship of the Navy ran aground off the coast of Calayan, Cagayan during Typhoon Rubing (Clara). Coral Island Unknown 25 July 1982 21 unknown 74 The tourist ship caught fire off Manila Bay after an engine exploded on a trial run. The ship was only carrying crew members at the time. MV Doña Cassandra Gothong Shipping Lines 21 November 1983 167 Capsized off the coast of Surigao del Norte after being battered by strong gusts caused by Typhoon Warling (Orchid). Historically notable for the death of the Cassandra Martyrs of Charity. MV Doña Josefina 24 April 1986 34 130+ 260 The inter-island ferry sank off the coast of Isabel, Leyte on its way from Cebu to Manila.—"24 die, 130 missing as inter-island ship sinks in Philippines" Los Angeles Times. April 25, 1986. Retrieved 02-15-2022.—"How safe is sea travel? Issues, concerns, and best practice" (Part 1 of 3) The Freeman (via PressReader). September 17, 2013. Retrieved 02-15-2022. MV Doña Paz Sulpicio Lines 20 December 1987 4,341 25 MV Doña Paz left from Tacloban City, Leyte, for the City of Manila, with a stopover at Catbalogan, Samar. At 10:30 p.m. (PST), the passenger vessel collided with a motor tanker, MT Vector, near Dumali Point between the provinces of Marinduque and Oriental Mindoro. The vessel's manifest only listed 1,493 passengers and a 53-member crew, but survivors claimed that the vessel was carrying more than 4,000 passengers. The incident was the worst peacetime disaster and the worst in the 20th century, and the vessel was even named the Asia's Titanic. MT Vector Vector Shipping 11 0 2 MV Doña Marilyn Sulpicio Lines 24 October 1988 389 2 197 While sailing from Manila to Tacloban City, the vessel was caught up in Typhoon Unsang and sank. It was the sister ship of MV Doña Paz. MB Jem II 3 January 1989 16 45 113 The 31-passenger capacity motor boat left Looc, Romblon and for Malay, Aklan with 174 passengers on board, mostly students. The overloaded boat sank off of Aguho Point, Tablas Island in strong waves. Bocaue Pagoda tragedy 2 July 1993 226-279 Unknown Unknown The pagoda, that was used for the Bocaue River Festival in Bocaue, Bulacan was estimated to carrying 800 to 1000 devotees. At 8:15 p.m, the pagoda sank in the middle of the Bocaue River. According to witnesses many of the passengers moved to one side of the barge after a firecracker flew towards it. The concentrated weight of the people on board tilted the barge, causing the structure to collapse and sink. It is believed that some of the fatalities were electrocuted from the equipment on board. Unnamed boat Unknown 24 October 1993 11 1 5 A boat travelling from Talim Island in Laguna de Bay to mainland Cardona, Rizal capsized after the wake of a passing motorboat panicked passengers who had moved to one side of the vessel. MV Cebu City William Lines 2 December 1994 73 41 525 Collided with Singaporean container vessel, MV Kota Suria, off Manila Bay. The container ship only had a dent in its bow. Sister ship to MV Don Juan. MV Kota Suria Pacific Int’l Line Ltd. 0 0 MV Viva Antipolo VII Viva Shipping Inc. 16 May 1995 62 10 142 Caught fire and sank within the vicinity of Dalahican Fish Port, Lucena. MV Kimelody Cristy Moreta Shipping Lines 13 December 1995 24 13 100 At 2:00 a.m. (PST), caught fire and sank off Fortune Island, Nasugbu, Batangas. ML Gretchen I Noe and Clarita Quiamco 18 February 1996 51 145 Sank after being battered by strong winds near Cadiz, Negros Occidental. The old wooden ferry, according to the investigation, was not seaworthy and was carrying more than its allowed capacity. It was also eight hours late to dock in the Port of Cadiz. The Philippine Coast Guard failed to respond to the incident since the ferry had no radio on board. MV Kalibo Star K&T Shipping Company 15 August 1997 12 32 88 An inter-island ferry travelling during strong waves from Cebu to Tacloban capsized between Maripipi and Kawayan, Biliran. MB King Roger Landmark Travel Agency 15 August 1997 8 0 35 A double-decker sightseeing vessel carrying foreign tourists which sank during stormy weather 400 meters from the marina of the Manila Yacht Club in Manila Bay. Authorities blamed overloading for the disaster, which killed seven Hong Kong nationals and one Japanese. MV Princess of the Orient Sulpicio Lines 18 September 1998 70 80 355The 13,935-ton, long vessel sailed from Manila to Cebu during a typhoon and capsized at 12:55 p.m. (PST) near Fortune Island in Batangas. Lumban float sinking 19 January 1999 13 During a fluvial procession in Lumban, Laguna, a float hit an electric cable which later fell, causing devotees aboard to get either electrocuted or drowned as they jumped into the river."Laguna tragedy: 13 dead in fluvial procession accident" PHNO. 01-20-1999. Retrieved 03-16-2022."Philippines: 13 people killed in boating accident" AP Archive. 01-19-1999. Retrieved 03-30-2022. MV Asia South Korea Trans-Asia Shipping Lines 23 December 1999 58 0 699 The vessel was en route to Iloilo City from Cebu City when it hit rock formations off Bantayan Island. The collision created a hole in its hull causing its sinking.
21st century