2nd salvage ship arrives at reef today

From the Manila Standard Today (Feb 16): 2nd salvage ship arrives at reef today

The United States has sent salvage ship Jascon-25 to Tubataha Reef to cut to pieces and remove the USS Guardian, a minesweeper, that ran aground in the protected marine sanctuary, coast guard officials said on Friday.

Coast Guard Commandant Rear Admiral Rodolfo Isorena said Jascon-25, which was based in Singapore, was expected to arrive at the site today to start salvaging operations.

“Our priority is effective salvaging and safety of personnel. We will continuously evaluate weather conditions and execute salvage operations within the bounds of safety,” Isorena said.

The USS Guardian ran aground on January 17 in the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, after ignoring warnings from park rangers. At least 4,000 square meters of coral reefs were damaged.

Initial plans to lift the whole ship by crane and taking it away was abandoned because the operation would cause more damage. The US Navy decided to cut the ship to pieces.

Coast Guard Palawan Commander Enrico Efren Evangelista said the crane barge Borneo has proceeded to Tubbataha Reef to wait for the arrival of Jascon-25 in the area.

He said Jascon-25 would cut the minesweeper into pieces and Borneo would load the pieces to barges for transport out of the marine santuary.

Evangelista said Jascon-25 would be exempted from stop over and routine check at Palawan and would go directly to the site, but inpsectors would be airlifted by helicopter to the Jascon-25 on Sunday.

“It would still go through the procedure of Customs, Immigration and Quarantine inspection. The inspection would be done at the site on Sunday,” Evangelista said.

“What we are after is the time. If the Jascon-25 stops by Puerto Princesa it could mean a two-day delay in the operations because it has to travel 90 miles in order to reach Tubbataha Reef,” he said.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/02/16/2nd-salvage-ship-arrives-at-reef-today/