US envoy vows full aid in ship lift effort

From the Manila Standard Today (Jan 26): US envoy vows full aid in ship lift effort

US Ambassador to Manila Harry Thomas Jr. said Friday his government will be working closely with the Philippines in assessing the damage to the Tubbataha Reef caused by the grounding of the minesweeper USS Guardian.

“My military colleagues and I are totally committed to working jointly with our Philippine counterparts to remove the ship as expeditiously as possible, making every possible effort to avoid or minimize further damage,” Thomas said in a statement more than a week after the ship’s grounding on Jan. 17. “I am deeply grateful to the Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine Navy for their close cooperation with us. We will continue our combined efforts to resolve this matter.”

The Japan-based ship crashed into the reef before dawn while on its way to Indonesia after making a rest and refueling stop on Subic Bay, a former American naval base west of Manila. The Coast Guard has said that the minesweeper damaged 1,000 square meters of coral.

Thomas made his statement even as the Coast Guard said it was speeding up the removal of 15,000 liters of automotive diesel oil from the USS Guardian, and that it would have been completed Friday night.

“We are now 70 percent complete and we’re expecting to finish this today, Friday, said Lt. Commander Armand Balilo, the Coast Guard’s chief information officer.

Rear Admiral Rodolfo Isorena, Coast Guard commandant, said there was no oil leak despite the damage to the ship’s wooden hull and propeller.

The USNS Salvor, a US salvage ship, arrived at the site at 7 a.m. on Friday to help the Coast Guard and the US Navy in the salvage operation.

The Tubbataha Task Force officials and the US Navy have decided to use a ship crane from Singapore to lift the 1,300-ton minesweeper, and it’s expected to arrive next week.

US officials have contracted Singapore-based Smit Towing Co. to lift the 68-meter-long ship, put it on a salvage barge and bring it to a shipyard.

The Transport Department, meanwhile, said Friday the government and the US Navy were finalizing the vertical removal of the ship. Transport Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said part of the salvage plan was to use a crane with a high lifting capacity to remove the ship instead of dragging it to avoid more damage to the reef.

Thomas on Friday also expressed his “profound regret” over the incident and assured that there will be no “recurrence” of the grounding. “On behalf of the United States government, I wish to convey to the Philippine government and people my profound regret over the grounding of the USS Guardian on Tubbataha Reef,” Thomas said. “This was an unfortunate accident, and I recognize the legitimate concerns over the damage caused to a unique and precious wonder of nature, internationally recognized for its beauty and biological diversity.”

US Task group Unit Guardian spokesman Lt. commander James Stockman said that it was hard to speculate on how much the US would have to pay for the damage caused by the ship since an investigation was still ongoing. “Before determining what claims may apply, it is necessary for the Navy to complete a thorough investigation of the grounding,” Stockman said. “The US Navy understands and respects the concerns of the Republic of the Philippines with regard to environmental stewardship and the need to assess the damage caused by the grounding. “We do not want to speculate about liability issues, but the US Navy will coordinate with the Republic of the Philippines in assessing reef damage.”

Stockman said they had already deployed a marine biologist or coral reef expert to survey the grounding and evaluate the health of the surrounding reef. He said the US Navy was doing everything to minimize environmental damage while recovering the ship. “When the Guardian is safely recovered, the US government will continue to work with the Republic of Philippines government to assess the extent of the damage to the reef and the surrounding marine environment caused by the grounding,” Stockman said.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/01/26/us-envoy-vows-full-aid-in-ship-lift-effort/