Dragging anchor from Chinese ship causes P11 million reef damage near Pag-asa Island — researchers
MANILA, Philippines — A Chinese maritime militia vessel that ran aground at Pag-asa Reef 1 and deployed a heavy anchor that dragged across the seabed last month caused P11.1 million worth of coral reef damage, according to scientists who conducted an environmental assessment of the area.
The vessel, identified by hull number 16838, was stuck for nearly three hours on June 7 in waters less than three kilometers from Pag-asa Island. It was later escorted away by Chinese Coast Guard vessels.
Before leaving, the ship reportedly deployed a parachute anchor that dragged across the reef, damaging about 30% of the surrounding area. The anchor now rests on 307 square meters of coral, blocking sunlight and harming marine life, representatives of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development said during a press briefing by the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea on Monday, July 14.
The findings are based on underwater surveys conducted on June 17 by representatives from the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, Western Philippines University (WPU) in Palawan, and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) through scuba diving and high-resolution camera equipment.
Sharing their findings on Monday, July 14, the team says they found broken fragments of both hard and soft corals and chipped pieces of corals across the impacted area. Unlike typical vessel groundings, they found no flattened or crushed reef structures, confirming the damage came from the dragging anchor rather than the ship's hull hitting the reef.
"For the broken fragments, both hard and soft corals po ang nakita po natin na putol-putol (we saw both broken hard and soft corals)," said Mark Dela Cruz, field biologist of the Palawan council, an independent agent under the Office of the President, attached to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. "We conclude, based on our observation, that the damages on the reef at the impacted area were caused by the drag of the reef anchor."
The heavy nylon anchor remains nine meters underwater and will require specialized equipment to remove without causing further harm, said Dela Cruz, who himself is part of the team that inspected the site. Six divers attempted to lift the equipment during the assessment, but could not move it due to its weight.
Ongoing damage
Benjamin Gonzales, marine biologist and retired professor in coastal and fisheries management, assisted the team that conducted the study. He warned that the continued presence of the anchor is harming the reef underneath by blocking sunlight, which corals need to survive.
"Without sunlight, the coral reef will die," Gonzales said during the press briefing.
The destruction of the coral reefs could wipe out thousands of fish species. "When the coral reef is destroyed, we have around 4,000 to 6,000 species of fish related to coral reefs. If it continues, maybe 6,000 will be gone," he said.
The anchor could also shift during typhoons and cause more damage. As the nylon degrades, it also produces microplastics now found in fish muscle tissue, Gonzales added.
"Such destruction will greatly affect our coral ecosystem. And there was a study that the coral reef produces 32 tons of fish per year," Gonzales said. "So this has implications for our fishermen who fish in the West Philippine Sea."
The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development estimated the damage from the dragging anchor to be around P11.1 million, based on Resolution No. 23-890. The resolution sets coral reef costs at P24,000 per square meter — P12,000 for resource value and another P12,000 for restoration costs.
This estimated figure covers the 307 square meters completely covered by the anchor, which Dela Cruz says is now "totally damaged."
"We are continuing to monitor the ecological footprint left by these ships. So far, our research is leading us to believe that the ecological footprint is considerable," Dela Cruz added.
This is the first documented case of a Chinese maritime militia vessel's parachute anchor causing coral reef damage that Philippine authorities have detected, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Jay Tarriela said.
The incident occurred amid a surge of Chinese maritime activity near Pag-asa Island, where several militia and Coast Guard ships have been seen swarming the area’s territorial waters.
The increasing use of parachute anchors by Chinese vessels in Philippine waters has caught Tarriela's attention. While he said it was unclear why the Chinese vessel used a parachute anchor instead of a traditional one, its use in shallow waters poses a threat to marine life because they tend to drag along the seabed and crush corals.
Protected zone
The June 7 incident occurred in a maximum protection zone where all human activity is prohibited under Republic Act 7611 or the Strategic Environment Plan for Palawan Act, said Teodoro Mata, executive director of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development.
"The parachute itself is not an illegal act," Mata said. "But the misuse or the incident that happened caused the dragging of the parachute. And it's still causing damage up to now."
The grounding occurred within Philippine territorial waters, 2.6 kilometres from Pag-asa Island, well within the country's 12-nautical-mile territorial sea, Tarriela pointed out.
The Palawan field team's findings will be forwarded to the DFA and the Department of Justice for the possible imposition of recommended penalties for environmental damage by foreign vessels, as outlined in Republic Act No. 8550, or the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998.
"We cannot speak for the People's Republic of China," Tariela said. "But again, we still accord with them the sense that they are a responsible member of the international community. So we are hopeful that through the Department of Foreign Affairs, we can be able to reach out to them."
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