By: Rodrigo S. Victoria
NAVAL, Biliran – The much-publicized damage on the Tubbataha Reef by an American military vessel and a Chinese fishing vessel not long ago seemed not enough, as another foreign vessel plowed through another reef in a more central part of the Philippines.
A Panamanian registered cargo vessel ran aground in the evening of June 13 near Sambawan Island, in the island municipality of Maripipi in Biliran province. The boat plowed through its coral reef.
According to Lieutenant Junior Grade Paul C. Gonzales, station commander of the Tacloban Coast Guard Station, which oversees the Coast Guard detachment of Naval, the MV Unicorn Lodger of Wisdom Lines, skippered by Captain Nguyen Anh Tuah with 17 other Vietnamese crew on board, ran aground approximately 60 to 80 meters southwest of Sambawan Island.
Gonzales said that a certain Jessie Manuel, caretaker of the Sambawan Island resort, reported to the personnel of Philippine Coast Guard detachment in Naval that at around 9:15 p.m. of June 13 the vessel had ran aground in the area.
Gonzales disclosed that the foreign vessel with a gross tonnage of 5,691 and net tonnage of 3,197 was loaded with 1,607 pieces of logs weighing 836 tons and was sailing from Malaysia to Japan.
The coast guard official added that per initial report conducted by the PCG-Naval personnel together with the Bantay Dagat personnel of Maripipi this morning, no sign of oil spill was observed. However, drag marks on the coral reef in the area were spotted.
“About 270 square meters of the coral reef area in Sambawan Island were plowed through by the hull of the foreign vessel,” Gonzales added, based on the initial report submitted by his men and other authorities conducting initial inspection in the area of the incident.
He said that the foreign cargo vessel might have had no intention to dock in Sambawan area, but was just on a “right of innocent passage,” a term in international law referring to a ship or aircraft’s right to enter and pass through another’s territory as long as it is not prejudicial to the peace, good order or security of the other state.
It was learned that the sea surrounding Sambawan Island is a marine protected area. Sambawan Island is a widely known local tourist destination in Biliran province and is among the tourist destinations of the province covered by the recently-enacted RA 10409 sponsored by Biliran Congressman Rogelio J. Espina, which declared Biliran province as a tourism development area.
The PCG Tacloban station commander further said that the foreign cargo vessel was inclined at four degrees during low tide, but was already afloated around 2:19 p.m. today based on the initial report. The boat is now docked at the Naval port for further inquiry by the PCG and other concerned authorities.
Other concerned agencies of the government like the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) here in Region 8 have already been furnished with initial reports on the incident for information and appropriate action by their respective agencies, Gonzales said. (PIA 8 Biliran rvictoria)
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