Cargo ship damages coral reef

CEBU, Philippines - A 183-meter cargo vessel from Tsukumi, Japan – but bore the flag of Panama – has ran aground in Monad Shoal in Daanbantayan town, damaging approximately 2,400 square meters of coral reefs, said local BantayDagat group “MigosaIho” (friends of sharks).

The ship was reportedly loaded with 45,000 tons of cement and bound for San Fernando, Cebu.

Gary Cases, a member of the group, said they have yet to determine the exact damage and the species of coral reefs affected, among others.

Cases said they will seek help from marine biology students of the University of San Carlos in assessing the damage. The Office of the Governor, through the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, has already drafted a letter-request addressed to the USC College of Arts and Sciences-Department of Biology to this effect.

Based on the incident report, the M/V Belle Rose ran aground at 3 a.m. on June 13. It was located approximately four nautical miles Southeast off Malapascua Island.

Four nautical miles is equivalent to 7.408 kilometers.

The report showed further that the Coast Guard received a text message from Cases at 8:32 a.m. informing them about the incident.

Coast Guard Station Cebu commander Agapito Bibat has already ordered the Coast Guard Sub-Station Hagnaya to provide necessary assistance to the cargo vessel.

“So far, there were no traces of oil, there was no leakage but then we have also to conduct underwater hull inspection to ascertain the extent of damage on the corals,” he said.

He said a marine safety investigation team was sent to the area to probe the extent of the damage.

Moreover, Bibat said they have alerted two of their rescue vessels to escort the crew of the foreign cargo vessel to safety.

Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has sent a team to the area to investigate and conduct field assessment.

Monad Shoal is part of the coral triangle, Philippines is at the apex of the coral triangle or the world’s center of marine biodiversity

According to a study by the World Resources Institute called “Reefs at Risk,” about 85 percent of the coral reefs in the coral triangle are in peril owing to threats to the region coming from overfishing and watershed pollution, among others.

Coral reefs are home to millions of species. Fish, corals,lobsters, clams, seahorses, sponges, and sea turtles are only a few of the thousands of creatures that rely on reefs for their survival

Mario Argao, DENR-7 conservation and development division chief, said earlier it would take time – at least five years – for corals to rejuvenate.

Other ways to rejuvenate corals are implantation and setting up of mesh nets on the sea floor, which is an expensive method of rehabilitating corals because it requires divers.

Monad Shoal is a sunken island 7.8 kilometers from Malapascua Island where the sharks come for grooming. It is the top dive spot in the area where you can find thresher sharks all year round.

Monad shoal is 1.5km long with a 200-meter drop. The top part of the sunken island has a flattish surface where the thresher sharks go for some cleaning sessions. It is has a depth of about 20-27 meters from the surface. (FREEMAN)