Removal of USS Guardian may take until April - PCG

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 6): Removal of USS Guardian may take until April - PCG

 The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commander Rear Admiral Rodulfo Isorena on Wednesday said removing the grounded USS Guardian off the South Atoll of the Tubbataha Reefs National Park (TRNP) may take until April.

Isorena said they hope to start the salvage operation as soon as possible to avoid further damage to the reef. The Tubbataha Protected Areas Management Board (TPAMB) has given the green light to the U.S. Navy salvage operation team to pursue the proposal to “section” US minesweeper.

Palawan Governor Baham Mitra, who also chairs the TPAMB, said in an interview that "sectioning" the USS Guardian in several parts appear to be less destructive, though the crane ship SMIT Borneo has to drop anchor on the protected reef 2,500 feet below the water.

In consultation with the National Task Force on the Tubbataha incident, Mitra said breaking the minesweeper into several parts seem to be the safest course to take to speed up the removal.

Meanwhile, the management of the TRNP is concerned that the grounding of the USS Guardian in the protected marine park may cause adverse effects on its tourism industry, especially because the diving season is about to start in March.

Angelique M. Songco, head of the Tubbataha Management Office (TMO), said the approximately 1,500 tourists, expected to arrive in the marine park this year is comparatively lower than last year due to the stranding incident, coyld still visit the world-famous diving site but they “may not get the full Tubbataha experience because [the management] may have to close certain parts of the park.”

Of the eight diving sites in the marine park that are open to tourists, Songco said they are heavily considering closing two since these were the ones directly affected by the grounding incident.

The USS Guardian that ran aground the Tubbataha Reef on January 17 and has damaged an estimated 4,000 square meters of reefs which, authorities approximated to be equal to eight basketball courts, with an initial cost estimate of P100 million for damages.

The estimate does not cover the cost of restoring the reef and the damages to its other constituencies which extend to water quality and bird and fish life. Songco said the TPAMB would stand by its demand to hold the US Navy accountable for the damages the grounding of the USS Guardian has brought. The board also wants the US Navy to pay the corresponding fine for every violation its ship had committed.

TPAMB has already sent the notice of violation, which listed pertinent provisions of Philippine law that the USS Guardian violated to the US Navy but Songco said they have not yet received any answer. Among the violations that the board has listed were unauthorized entry, non-payment of conservation fee, damaging the reef and destroying resources.

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