The fishing vessel which collided with a passenger boat that sank off Limbones Island in Cavite Thursday has been ordered to temporarily stop sailing pending an investigation into the collision, the Coast Guard said Friday.

Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo, PCG commandant, said they have started coordinating with other groups for the use of thermal imaging as preparations to retrieve the sunken boat is now underway.

The PCG commandant also said traces of oil leak coming from the sunken vessel was minimal and personnel from Maritime Environment Protection Command are now in the site to prevent a bigger oil spill.

“Fishermen have nothing to worry as the quantity of the traces of oil leak coming from sunken vessel was so small,” he said.

As of 11 a.m. Friday, Lieutenant Commander Armand Balilo, PCG spokesman, said only three persons have been confirmed to have died in the mishap.

Balilo said a passing tanker, the M/T Emilio Jacinto, turned over to tugboat T/B Habagat the body of 34-year-old passenger Beverly Cabinillo at 1:35 p.m. Thursday.

The two other fatalities were Relly Morales, 71, and a certain Welmar Tanayan who was only identified through his cellular phone. He was believed to be 22 to 27 years old.

Search and rescue operations continued for 24 missing passengers of the MV Catalyn B, a wooden hull motorized vessel that sank some 2.8 nautical miles northwest of Limbones Island at 2:25 a.m. Thursday.

“We have high hopes to find more survivors who may have been carried away from the site of the sinking,” Tamayo said.

The Coast Guard Command Action Center said the MV Catalyn B, which is owned by the San Nicolas Shipping Lines, left Pier 2 of North Harbor in Manila at around 9 p.m. Wednesday bound for Lubang Island in Mindoro when it collided with the FV Anatalia which was on its way to the Navotas Fish Port.

The Coast Guard said the vessels should have passed port-to-port or left side-to-left side. But in the end, the M/V Catalyn B hit the rear starboard or right side of the fishing vessel.

The bow of the wooden-hulled passenger vessel sustained a hole that caused it to sink immediately. The bigger fishing vessel on the other hand only sustained a scratch.

San Nicolas Lines general manager Limuel Fabula said it was the fishing vessel that made a U-turn and hit their passenger boat.

Interviewed by reporters, Commodore Luis Tuason Jr., Coast Guard National Capital Region commander, hinted that human error may have the caused the collision.

Tuason was tasked by Tamayo to look into the sea tragedy and establish which boat was at fault.

A total of 73 people were on board the two boats when the incident occurred.

At least 46 people have been rescued Thursday while 24 others remain missing. Observers said there could be more casualties.

Myranel Cajayon, a passenger of the MV Catalyn-B who survived, told ABS-CBN said she heard a loud thud and saw water coming in shortly after.

Cajayon said the boat then turned to the side and sank within seconds. She said she and the other passengers saved themselves by holding on to wooden planks to stay afloat.

The passengers said that they were not able to wear lifejackets as crew members of the ferry did not alarm them.