Bigger Tubbataha Damage Seen

From the Manila Bulletin (Jan 29): Bigger Tubbataha Damage Seen

The extent of the damage on Tubbataha Reef caused by the US Navy minesweeper may be more than the Task Force’s initial assessment of 1,000 square meters, the Philippine Coast Guard bared yesterday.

PCG spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said they expect to get a better idea on what was damaged by the USS Guardian when the salvaging operations on the ship are completed.

“Once the vessel is removed from the area, that is the only time we can determine the total damage to the coral reefs,” he said.

The only thing he made sure was the UNESCO World Heritage Site sustained damage more than what was assessed. “It (damage) could be more than 1,000 square meters. We are not discounting that possibility,” said Balilo.

The 68-meter USS Guardian has been stuck in Tubbataha Reef since January 17 after it ran aground in the area.

Its removal, however, has to wait a little longer, pending the arrival of two crane ships from Singapore that will be used for salvaging operations.

Breaking Up Minesweeper Mulled

Meanwhile, the US Navy (USN) is said to be looking at another option to remove the USS Guardian from the Tubbataha Reef – to dismantle or “break up the ship in place.”

A Philippine military official in the area said Task Force Tubbataha was supposed to meet yesterday with Rear Admiral Thomas Carney, the on-scene commander of the salvage operations, but the meeting did not push through.

“The Task Force is waiting for the US Navy to submit a salvage plan,” said the official, adding that, “A new option (to remove Guardian from the reef) is now emerging... to break up the ship in place.”

“The only problem is the public opinion’s favorability about the option,” said the official.

Carney had earlier said, “The problem is very complex, and both Naval architects and salvage engineers are working together to develop (salvage) plans.”

He also disclosed that the Guardian’s hull has been punctured and several areas of the ship have been flooded. The repeated pounding of heavy seas on the ship, which hampered recovery efforts in the days immediately following the grounding, has also resulted in the loss of much of the fiberglass coating on the port side.

As Carney described the ship as badly damaged, he said the option to tow the ship off the reef is not available.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/391725/bigger-tubbataha-damage-seen