M/V EVA JOCELYN: A Yolanda Shipwreck That Became A Tacloban Landmark

Posted on November 8, 2026 at 8:04 PM

Tacloban City — It was once a cargo ship anchored in Anibong Bay, waiting for its cargo to be unloaded. But when Super Typhoon Yolanda struck on November 8, 2013, the M/V Eva Jocelyn was swept ashore by the storm surge, crashing into houses in Barangay 68, Anibong District.

More than a decade later, part of the vessel remains in the area, no longer as a working ship but as a memorial to the people who lost their lives when Yolanda devastated Tacloban City.

The M/V Eva Jocelyn had sailed from Cebu and arrived in Tacloban on November 2, 2013. It was anchored in Anibong Bay while waiting for its cargo of cement, reportedly around 14,600 bags, to be unloaded.

The vessel remained in the bay after the Philippine Coast Guard imposed sailing restrictions ahead of the approaching typhoon.

When Yolanda made landfall, powerful winds and a massive storm surge swept the ship away from its anchorage and pushed it toward the shoreline. The vessel crashed into houses and residential structures, adding to the destruction in Anibong, one of the communities badly hit by the disaster.

The ship’s remains later took on a different purpose.

Former Tacloban City Vice Mayor Jerry T. Yaokasin of Barangay 88, San Jose, acquired the front portion of the vessel from its registered owner, Pilipinas Precious Metal Resources Inc. The structure, consisting of sections of the ship’s hull, stern and bow, weighed an estimated 15,000 kilograms.

Yaokasin donated the structure to the City of Tacloban, represented by then Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez, for conversion into a memorial honoring the victims of Yolanda.

The city received the deed of donation in November 2014. The document was notarized on January 28, 2015, with Rene G. Nuevo and Ritchelle C. Barboza as witnesses.

Today, the remaining structure stands at the Yolanda Shipwreck Memorial Park in Anibong. What was once part of a cargo vessel that caused destruction during the storm surge has become a place where people can remember the lives lost in the disaster.

For Tacloban, the M/V Eva Jocelyn is more than a remnant of a shipwreck. It has become part of the city’s history, marking one of the darkest days in the lives of its people.

More than a decade after Yolanda, its presence in Anibong continues to recall the force of the storm surge and the communities whose lives were forever changed.

Photo courtesy: Official FB account of Jerry “Sambo” Yaokasin