Palawan’s Tubbataha PAMB gives 5 conditions for safe salvaging of USS Guardian

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 7): Palawan’s Tubbataha PAMB gives 5 conditions for safe salvaging of USS Guardian

Before the SMIT Borneo left for Tubbataha on Wednesday, the Protected Areas Management Board (PAMB) headed by Governor Baham Mitra laid down five conditions before the salvage plan proposed by the U.S. Navy was given the green light.

Angelique Songco of the Tubbataha Management Office (TMO) on Thursday said the conditions were to make sure that the coral reefs can be protected.

First in the list was that a Joint Ecological Assessment will be done between the U.S. Navy and the TMO before actual operation is started.

Second is the conduct of the same in assessing the true value of the damages caused by the USS Guardian.

The PAMB also mandated that their team be allowed to join the U.S. Navy salvage operation team in the vessels that would participate in getting the grounded minesweeper off Tubbataha to assure that safe operating procedures are followed.

The conditions also asked the U.S. Navy to commit that during the salvaging operation, no endangered marine species would be caught by the net to be placed around the USS Guardian to trap the debris once the sectioning would be implemented.

Lastly, that all vessels and individuals included in the salvage operation team would strictly follow the laws being implemented by the TMO in the Tubbataha.

Evangelista assured that anything that needs to be added to the already approved salvage plan would have to be brought to their attention first before implementation.

The crane ship SMIT Borneo finally reached the Tubbataha Reef Natural Park (TRNP) on Wednesday to commence the salvaging of the USS Guardian that got stuck in the marine protected area of South Atoll in January.

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-Palawan District Commodore Enrico Efren Evangelista informed the media that SMIT Borneo reached the Tubbataha at about six o’clock Wednesday and set to task immediately by carefully laying down its anchors in the Sulu Sea off Cagayancillo island town 8-10 meters away from the grounding site.

The Coast Guard top official said it took the crane ship long hours to lay down the anchors as it needed to be careful to place them in the target areas. He provided no other details as to when sectioning of the USS Guardian will happen.

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