US envoy expresses regret over Tubbataha incident

MANILA, Philippines - The United States’ top diplomat in the Philippines yesterday conveyed to the government regret over the grounding of the US Navy minesweeper USS Guardian on Tubbataha Reef.

“This was an unfortunate accident, and I recognize the legitimate concerns over the damage caused to a unique and precious wonder of nature, internationally recognized for its beauty and biological diversity,” Ambassador Harry Thomas, Jr. said in a statement.

Thomas said the US would collaborate with the Philippines to assess the damage and take steps to address the environmental issues over the incident.

“My military colleagues and I are totally committed to working jointly with our Philippine counterparts to remove the ship as expeditiously as possible, making every possible effort to avoid or minimize further damage,” he said.

Thomas said the US government is grateful to the Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine Navy for coordinating the efforts to minimize the environmental disaster.

“We will continue our combined efforts to resolve this matter. As the investigation of this matter proceeds, we hope to continue our close coordination with the Philippine government to understand precisely what happened so we can ensure there will be no recurrence,” Thomas said.

The commander of the US 7th Fleet also expressed regret over the incident.

Lt. Commander Ralph Kris Hooper, public affairs officer of the US 7th Fleet, said an assessment team from the US Navy arrived in Palawan to work on the extraction of the warship from the reef. The team includes engineers, divers and other essential personnel.

Hooper said a US Navy investigation team is assessing the circumstances on how the warship strayed and grounded in Tubbataha Reef, a marine sanctuary that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The minesweeper USS Guardian, which is based in Japan, crashed into the reef before dawn on Jan. 17 while on its way to Indonesia after making a rest and refueling stop in Subic Bay.

All of its 79 officers and crew were transferred to two other US vessels the following day for safety reasons as the 68-meter long, 1,300-ton ship was unable to maneuver on its own as it was buffeted by strong winds and waves.  

Rear Adm. Thomas Carney, commander of the US Navy’s Logistics Group in the Western Pacific, declined to explain why the Guardian was sailing in the area, saying that was still the subject of investigation while repeatedly expressing their regret over the incident.

Carney said Task Force Tubbataha and the US Navy team have decided to use a salvage ship with the capacity to lift the 1,300-ton ship off the reef.

He said the salvage operation could be “a very deliberate, complicated process” involving at least two more US Navy vessels that could take up to two weeks to complete.

Carney said the salvage operations would also depend on the environmental conditions in the area, which will determine how safely the salvagers can proceed in lifting the ship from the corals.

He said about 56,000 liters of fuel will first be siphoned off from the ship to avoid spills and contaminating the environment.

Preparations

Department of Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said Task Force Tubbataha has started working with a salvage company from Singapore and the US Navy to finalize the plan to remove the stranded ship.

Abaya said part of the salvage plan was to use a crane with high lifting capacity for the vertical removal of the stranded ship instead of just dragging it to avoid more damage to the reef.

The USNS Salvor was expected to arrive at the site yesterday with SMIT Singapore Pte Ltd’s two vessels, SMIT Cyclone and SMIT Borneo, to arrive on Jan. 30.

Philippine Coast Guard Rear Adm. Rodolfo Isorena said the initial preparations for salvage operations started in the area yesterday.

He said US Navy personnel started to transfer some of the Guardian’s ordnance and its crew’s personal effects to another US Navy ship, USNS Mustin.

Another ship, Vos Apollo, was able to get into position and conducted partial defueling of the Guardian.

According to Tubbataha Management Office chief Park Superintendent Angelique Songco, the stranded warship has been dried of its fuel.

“Our monitoring of the situation in the area has been continuing. The ship has been dried of fuel, and that whatever heavy things are inside are now being taken out,” Songco said.

She added that they would just have to wait for the arrival of the ships from Singapore to be used in salvage operations.

“Information we received said that it will be arriving on Jan. 30. We just hope that it will be much earlier than that,” she said.

On the other hand, Commissioner Heherson Alvarez of the Climate Change Commission warned against accepting payment on a per square meter basis for the damage caused by Guardian.

Alvarez said the fine is a measly sum compared to the damage done.  – With Rainier Allan Ronda, Rhodina Villanueva, Evelyn Macairan, Jaime Laude, Ben Serrano, Lawrence Agcaoili, Sandy Araneta