Bad weather delays retrieval of US ship

From the Manila Times (Jan 23): Bad weather delays retrieval of US ship


BAD weather continues to hamper the US Navy’s assessment and subsequent retrieval operation on USS Guardian, which got stuck off Tubbataha National Park in Sulu Sea last week, causing further damage to the reefs. “As of this time, I have no information if they have finished [their assessment] or not. But according to reports coming from the area, the weather has slightly improved and hopefully they can proceed with the assessment,” Commodore Joseph Rustom Peña, commander of Naval Forces West, said on Tuesday.

He added that Rear Admiral Thomas Carney, commander of the Logistics Group of the US Western Pacific Command, has already arrived in the area to oversee the recovery operations. Carney, he further said, has discussed his plans with Coast Guard officials and Transportation Undersecretary Eduardo Oban Jr.

According to Peña, the Department of transportation and communications and the Coast Guard would be the lead agencies for the Philippine side in the salvaging operation, while the Navy would provide the security. Coast Guard Palawan, Peña said, has already set up a command operation center to monitor the retrieval operation.

But Peña stressed that even Carney could not say for sure when the salvaging operation would start as it all depends the result of the US Navy’s assessment and on the weather situation in the area. “The intention is to retrieve [the ship] but they could not say when. It depends on the weather condition,” he further said.

Meanwhile, Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo, Coast Guard spokesman, said that the Americans have hired the services of Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp., a Subic-based Filipino firm, to assist in the retrieval of the USS Avenger. The said firm, he said, has already positioned one of its ships, the M/T Trabajador-1 in the area, to determine the best way to extract the stricken ship with the least damage to the reef. Balilo said that the USS Avenger remains in stable condition and no signs of oil leak have been detected so far.

http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/news/nation/39937-bad-weather-delays-retrieval-of-us-ship