ZAMBOANGA CITY: A cruise ship ran aground in the Sulu Sea after hitting a coral bed about 15 nautical miles off Cagayancillo Island near Palawan province, the Maritime Bulletin reported on Monday. It said MV Forever Lucky was sailing to Bataan for repairs when it hit the coral bed. It had no passengers and the ship, which came from General Santos City, had only15 crew on board. All were rescued after the accident on January 7. It added that maritime authorities in Bataan stopped the cruise ship – owned by Fahrenheit Company – last year from leaving for Micronesia for allegedly smuggling 139 Filipinos bound to work illegally in Guam. The Maritime Bulletin further said that the cruise ship was equipped strictly for inland waters and was not seaworthy for longer voyages. “Russian inner waters are still full of cruise ships of this type, but these ships are strictly and only inland ships, they are not seaworthy, although sometimes irresponsible owners and authorities allow them to take short sea coastal trips, in Black/Azov seas mostly. Fresh sea and wind will sink such ship in no time. It is absolutely irresponsible for Filipino authorities to allow such a ship to navigate Filipino waters,” the bulletin said. There was no immediate statement from the Philippine Coast Guard on the matter.