US ship pulled free of Philippines reef
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The removal of the minesweeper USS Guardian that got stuck on Tubbataha Reef two months ago was completed on Saturday, two weeks ahead of schedule.
Commander of Philippine Coast Guard, Palawan District, Enrico Efren Evangelista said the salvage operation, that began after the grounding in mid-January, took 10 weeks to complete with the removal of the last major part of the ship, its stern, on Saturday afternoon.
Manual cleanup operations continue, as the marine park’s Tubbataha Management Office (TMO), plans to conduct a full assessment of damage to the reef starting April 8.
Evangelista said all the parts of the recovered minesweeper had been taken to an American naval facility in Sasebo, Japan.
Environmental groups have also reiterated demands that the United States Navy pay for the damage, according to park regulations.
The US has unilaterally announced it is committed to rehabilitate the damage done by the Guardian but has kept its discussions on the matter with the Department of Foreign Affairs strictly confidential.
Earlier, the militant group Pamalakaya urged the Philippine government to reject a reported offer by the US of $2.3 million (Bt67.3 million) in compensation, citing the “an environmental holocaust spurred by the grounding of the USS Guardian to the Unesco declared national treasure.”
