USS Guardian salvage team confident deadline to be met

From the Daily Tribune (Mar 18): USS Guardian salvage team confident deadline to be met

Salvage teams are now preparing to cut the hull of grounded warship USS Guardian at the Tubbataha Reef as the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) yesterday maintained that extrication could still be completed within the March 23 timeframe should weather conditions continued to be favorable to the ongoing operations.

Commodore Enrico Efren Evangelista, PCG Palawan District commander and head of Task Force Tubbataha, said that salvage teams need at least six days of good weather condition to complete the cutting of the hull which is the last stages of the extrication efforts.

“Most of the work is done below deck. The focus of the salvage team is the preparation of the hull for cutting and lifting,” Evangelista said.

Evangelista said that the salvage teams could still make the March 23 timeframe if the good weather conditions in Tubbataha continue in the next days.

“They are timing (the efforts) with the good weather, they need six days of continuous good weather…because if they start cutting, they need to lift the hull…so when the cutting of the hull starts, that will be continuous,” he added.

“Hopefully, the weather will be favorable so that this will be finished,” said Evangelista.

Part of the preparations for the cutting of hull is the removal of all the piping, pumps and other equipment.

“What they are doing now is all preparations for the cutting of the hull...in the next coming days maybe (they can start with the cutting),” said Evangelista.

USS Guardian ran aground the World Heritage Site-listed Tubbataha Reef last Jan. 6 due to supposed faulty digital map. However, park rangers reported that the warship ignored warnings that it is entering a protected marine sanctuary.

"We need six days of very good weather in order to begin cutting and lifting of the hull," he added.

Evangelista also stressed that so far, weather conditions have proven very favorable for salvage crews working to extricate the grounded minesweeper.

The PCG official also stated that much caution is being observed especially when removing piping fittings as this could contain oil that may pollute the waters if improperly dismantled.

As of Sunday, weather conditions off Tubbataha are favorable to the ongoing salvage works as the wind is only blowing between 11 to 16 knots with wave height reaching only 1.5 meters.

Evangelista said that vessels in the area include the USS Safeguard, USS Wally Shirra, Jascon 25, SMIT Borneo, Barge S-700 (Seabridge), Tug Archon Tide, Tug Intrepid, Vos Hercules and Malayan Towage salvage vessel Trabajador-1.

Salvage crews on Sunday also have established strong points of hull for rigging.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/nation/item/11833-uss-guardian-salvage-team-confident-deadline-to-be-met.html