Salvage team begins cutting of USS Guardian’s engine room

MANILA, Philippines – The USS Guardian dismantling operation continued during the weekend in preparation for the cutting of the US Navy minesweeper’s engine room, according to the spokesperson of the Philippine Coast Guard.

Lieutenant Commander Armand Balilo, also chief of the PCG’s public affairs office, on Sunday said the US Navy-contracted salvage team was “in the process of clearing the USS Guardian’s engine room and the lower deck of equipment, loose materials and debris.”

In a text message to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, he also disclosed that “good weather in the Tubbataha Reef (in the Sulu Sea) has allowed the salvage operation to progress.”

“Wind speeds of 10 to 15 knots and waves of 0.6 to 1 meter are prevailing in the reef area,” noted Balilo.

The salvage team “has dismantled over 50 percent of the USS Guardian,” said the Coast Guard’s Palawan district in a report to the PCG headquarters in Manila.

The Coast Guard search-and-rescue vessel BRP Romblon (SARV 3503) is closely monitoring the salvage operation, led by the main crane ship Jascon 25, according to Balilo.

Seven other ships were in the vicinity: the US Navy supply ship Wally Schirra, USS Salvor, crane ship SMIT Borneo, barge Seabridge S-700, tugs Archon Tide and Intrepid, and the Malayan tow vessel Trabajador 1.

Last week, the USS Guardian’s four engines, as well as its two diesel generators and fantail cranes, were successfully removed and transferred to the Seabridge by the Jascon 25.

The salvage team is expecting favorable weather conditions in the reef area in the next three to four days that would allow it to continue work on the 68-meter US Navy vessel, which ran aground on the reef on January 17.

The ship dismantling operation began on February 22 but was suspended at least four times due to bad weather.

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Jerry E. Esplanada | Philippine Daily Inquirer | March 17, 2013 | Article Link

Salvage ops for USS Guardian half-way done - Task Force Tubbataha

Salvage crew for USS Guardian

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY – Salvage operations for the grounded USS Guardian at the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP) has now accomplished around 50-percent of its target, Task Force Tubbataha (TFT) said Monday.

Commodore Enrico Efren Evangelista, head of the TFT and commander of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-Palawan District, said, "We are expecting calm weather in the next three to four days so work will continue on the USS Guardian by the Task Force."

As of Monday, the salvors had cleared pipes and vents at the funnel base of the USS Guardian; lifted remaining portions of the funnel base section at the port side; and cleared all types of interference at the auxiliary machinery room and main machinery room.

They also worked and prepared all machineries at the AMR and MMR for removal; transferred additional hydraulic power unit to the USS Guardian; and opened the top containers for loading of debris.

The 50-percent accomplishment, he added, includes the preparation and mobilization of the salvage operation.

A spokesman for the US Navy said salvage costs have so far totalled more than a million dollars.

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Donna Jean M. Genilan | Phlippines News Agency | March 12, 2013 | Article Link

BRP Pampanga Joins Salvage Operations of Distressed Chinese Bulker

The Philippine Coast Guard announced yesterday that a Chinese-owned bulk carrier is currently dead on waters after it encountered engine trouble just southwest of Tubbataha Reef along the vicinity off Sulu Sea in Palawan

Commodore Enrico Efren Evangelista, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Palawan district commander said that his office received an urgent call from officials of the New Filipino Agencies Marine Inc. saying that M/V Tan An Ha, a Panamanian-registered cargo vessel and owned by Tan Ai Shipping based in Fujian, China is currently in a distress situation after its main engine conked out while sailing southwest of the Sulu Sea (Latitude 07° – 4.7°N/ Longitude 119 ° – 40°E).

Evangelista said that the cargo-vessel, which came from Singapore, was supposedly on its way to Tagbilaran Port in Bohol to deliver 5,900 tons of limestone shipment when the incident happened.

Initial reports from the area disclosed that rough sea conditions continue hammering the vessel and the ship’s captain is worried that it may cause the vessel to run aground along the shallow portions in the area.

Search and rescue vessel BRP-Pampanga, which is currently assisting on the salvage operations of the USS Guardian along Tubbataha Reef was dispatched to respond  and render immediate assistance to crew of the said cargo vessel. The PCG assured the public that the area where the vessel is currently located is far from the Tubbataha Reef.

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Naval Today | March 6, 2013 | Article Link

MDSU 1 safely removes funnel of USS Guardian

130226-N-VF350-235

SULU SEA (Feb. 25, 2013) Sailors from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1 and U.S. Navy contracted salvage crew members from the M/V Jascon 25 safely remove the exhaust funnel structure from the mine countermeasures ship USS Guardian (MCM 5). Guardian ran aground on the Tubbataha Reef Jan. 17. The funnel's removal was a milestone in the dismantling process of the Guardian. 

The U.S. Navy and contracted salvage teams are safely dismantling and removing the ship from Tubbataha Reef. 

The U.S. Navy continues to work in close cooperation with the Philippine authorities to safely dismantle Guardian from the reef while minimizing environmental effects.

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Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Anderson | U.S. Navy | February 25, 2013 | Article Link

Salvage works for USS Guardian ongoing - PCG

MANILA, Feb. 22 (PNA) -- Helped by improving weather conditions, salvage crews are working aboard the grounded USS Guardian (MCM-5), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Friday.

Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo, Coast Guard spokesperson, said crewmen aboard the pipelay ship Jascon 25 have stabilized their position near the stricken minesweeper.

He salvage works were being pushed as the weather off Tubbataha Reef, where the USS Guardian has been stuck since Jan. 17, had improved compared to Thursday's.

On Wednesday and Thursday, big waves, poor visibility and bad weather conditions threatened the safety of the salvage crews. 

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Philippine News Agency | February 22, 2013 | Article Link

US Ready To Disassemble Warship Stranded At Reef

With the Jascon 25 pipelay crane vessel now at the Tubbataha reef, a spokesman of the United States Navy (USN) said yesterday salvage personnel will begin disassembling and removing the stricken Guardian minesweeper as soon as possible.

Lt. Frederick Martin, the USN Combined Task Unit (CTU) Guardian public affairs officer, gave the Manila Bulletin a summary of their salvage plan.

He stressed though that "individual steps, such as when to begin disassembling portions of the Guardian, are decisions made by the on-scene salvage experts based on weather and conditions at the site."

According to the USN officer, "Jascon 25, a dynamic positioning crane, has arrived in the area. This crane does not need to anchor, so it is expected to be able to operate where the other crane, Smit Borneo, could not. It also has a higher lifting capacity, needed to remove some sections of Guardian."

"Once the Jascon completes the Philippine Customs process and aligns and tests its dynamic positioning system, weather permitting, Smit salvage personnel will begin disassembling and removing the Guardian with the crane," he said.

In an email to the Manila Bulletin, Martin also provided a rough outline of the current salvage plan, but made it clear that "it will probably change as it is executed."

"It  is important to understand that the plan is constantly changing and being refined as the operation continues. The salvage of USS Guardian is extremely complex, and is affected by a wide variety of factors, including weather and the continued structural degradation of Guardian itself," Martin explained.

Marine salvage is a dynamic operation and operational plans will need to be adjusted as circumstances change," he added.

When the dismantling of the Guardian begins, Martin said topside equipment will be removed first, followed by masts, funnel and other accessible equipment and portions of the ship.

"Throughout the process, protection of the environment and mitigation of environmental risk will be a significant consideration, alongside safety of personnel," he said.

"Next, once loose material has been removed, we expect to begin removing the ship's superstructure - the part of the ship above the main deck.  Sections will be cut free and lifted with the Jascon crane, again with consideration of protecting the marine environment," Martin said.

Once the superstructure is removed, heavy machinery and equipment will be removed from inside the ship.

The USN spokesman said they have already removed the fuel and most of the other hazardous materials from the ship, and will monitor the removal of this equipment to ensure any remaining material is appropriately contained.

"Once the hull is mostly empty, we expect to begin to cut it into sections that can be secured and lifted.  Our current estimate is that we will remove the hull in three sections.  The bow and stern will be removed as intact pieces; however, the middle section will need to be removed in a piecemeal fashion as the structure lacks the strength to lift intact," he said.

The ship will be disassembled using a combination of hydraulic and pneumatic saws, grinders, cutters, and other equipment.

As equipment and sections of the ship are removed, they will be transferred to a barge or deck of the crane for further work.

The spokesman said, however, that they have not yet determined the final disposition of Guardian.

"Again, this entire plan is provisional, and based on what we know of the current conditions.  As we conduct the operation, we may find we need to alter the plan, possibly significantly.  We are working to remove the Guardian safely, while minimizing risk to the environment, and as quickly as those other considerations allow," said Martin.

He also reiterated that the salvage plan continues to emphasize safety and protection of the environment.

"Throughout the operation the salvage experts will alter procedures as necessary to protect personnel and the Tubbataha Reef ecosystem," stated USN spokesman.

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Elena L. Aben | Manila Bulletin | February 18, 2013 | Article Link

Dismantling of US Navy ship to start on Monday

MANILA, Philippines—The American minesweeper USS Guardian, which is stuck on the Tubbataha Reef in Palawan, will be “chopped up” beginning Monday, a Philippine Coast Guard official said Saturday.

PCG Palawan District commander Commodore Enrico Evangelista said the crane ship MT Jascon 25 was due to arrive in the area at 11 p.m. Saturday and that salvaging operations for the USS Guardian would begin on Monday.

“For the past one month, we prepared the USS Guardian for removal and the best scheme to remove (it) is through cutting,” Evangelista said in an interview. “We have already removed the things that can be removed so now [the entire ship] is ready for removal. We will begin cutting (on Monday).”

Evangelista said they had already removed “50-caliber machine guns, small guns and ammunition but no missiles.”

The United States earlier hired the services of the salvaging ships MT Trabajador 1 of Malayan Towage and Salvaging Corp. and the Vos Apollo of a Malaysian company based in Singapore. The US Navy’s USNS Salvor and the PCG’s BRP Romblon are also at the site.

Evangelita said the chopped up parts of the ship would be taken to Vos Apollo and transferred to a barge from Subic Bay.

“This is a warship of the US Navy so they will determine where it will be disposed. I still don’t know what they intend to do with it. The ship may have a design that is a trade secret,” he said.

He added that the Philippine government no longer needed these ship parts for its investigation into the grounding incident.

In Baguio City, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya  ruled out the possibility of sending the crew of the USS Guardian to jail for running aground on the Tubbataha Reef.

“It becomes tricky on that respect,” Abaya told reporters when asked if the US Navy servicemen could be imprisoned for destroying the corals at the Tubbataha Reef as provided in RA 10067, the law that established the Tubbataha Reef National Park.

Abaya said it was accepted in the general practice of international laws that “men of war, foreign naval vessels enjoy immunity, especially if it is in the line of duty.”

“So that has been practiced (worldwide), so it would be difficult on that part,” Abaya said on the sidelines of the Philippine Military Academy  Homecoming in Fort del Pilar. Abaya is a member of PMA Class ’88.

Nonetheless, Abaya said the US Navy would still be sanctioned for the damage its minesweeper caused to the reef that has been declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations.

The USS Guardian, which ran aground on January 17, destroyed some 4,000 square meters of corals. But Abaya said the overall damage to the reef had yet to be “assessed” because the ship was still stuck there.

The only way to have an “accurate picture” of the damage is if the ship has been removed, he said.

Abaya expressed hope that the salvaging of USS Guardian would be finished by March, depending on the weather in the area as the personal safety of the crew should also be considered.

Abaya noted that the US government has been “very cooperative and they have immediately apologized… The least they can do is cooperate, become transparent, and share with the people what’s going on.”

Abaya said there was some speculation about how the ship ran aground.

“Some say they probably enjoyed too much of an R&R in Subic. They said there was an error in digital charts. Some say they were doing a different thing there, on their own. This is all speculation so it would be irresponsible on my part to even assume,” Abaya said. 

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Philip C. Tubeza | Philippine Daily Inquirer | February 16, 2013 | Article Link

Salvaging operations for US ship in Tubbataha begin

MANILA, Philippines - Salvaging operations for the USS Guardian began yesterday after the Tubbataha Protected Area Management Board (TPAMB) allowed a crane ship to lower its four anchors some 10 meters away from the protected area.

Coast Guard Palawan district chief Commodore Enrico Efren Evangelista said the Smit Borneo arrived at the site at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The crane ship is needed to chop off the 68-meter-long US Navy minesweeper into smaller parts. The sections would be transferred  to another ship.

Evangelista said the Smit Borneo had started rigging its anchor, which takes time because it must be lowered deep into the Sulu Sea.

“There has to be precision in anchoring to make sure that the anchor would land at the correct spot,” he said,

Evangelista, who also heads the Task Force Tubbataha, said the TPAMB issued a manifestation agreeing to have the anchors lowered far from the damaged reef.

Ten meters (from the edge of the reef) is already a very safe distance,” he said.

The Smit Borneo will drop four anchors. The two at the bow will be lowered to a depth of 800 meters, which will hit sandy bottom, and the two at the stern will hit a depth of 300 meters.

Its crane can carry up to 500 tons.

Evangelista said fair weather was needed to ensure little movement in the water that could cause the minesweeper to drift.

The salvage team will use power tools and other equipment to cut the vessel into pieces. A generator will be on hand if needed.

Evangelista said the TPAMB set several conditions before agreeing to allow the ship to drop anchor.
These include a joint initial ecological assessment before and after the salvaging operations, to be conducted by the Coast Guard and park rangers.

Two representatives from the Tubbataha Management Office (TMO) will also join the Smit Borneo as observers.

The TPAMB also required nets or containment barriers to prevent further damage to the reef as the salvaging gets underway.

Those engaged in the salvaging operations are also required to abide by Tubbataha park rules and regulations.

The Guardian ran aground last Jan. 17 and is estimated to have so far damaged 4,000 square meters of coral.

US authorities reported removing the 15,000 liters of automotive diesel oil and other hazardous materials on the ship.

Meanwhile, the militant group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) slammed President Aquino for agreeing to the proposal to tap US troops to guard Tubbataha to prevent another accident.

Pamalakaya vice chairman Salvador France said the President’s proposal is “patently unpatriotic.”

He said Aquino should instead pursue “criminal and other appropriate charges” against US Navy officials and the 79 crew members of the Guardian.    

Last Tuesday, Aquino welcomed the idea of deploying a US Navy- led, Peace Corps-type volunteer team to help guard Tubbataha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Aquino said the volunteers under the command of the US Navy would not only guard the reef but also help in rehabilitation efforts and ensure that no ship would aground in the area again.
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Evelyn Macairan | The Philippine Star | February 7, 2013 | Article Link

12 Vietnamese fishermen arrested off Jolo

ZAMBOANGA (Updated) -- Twelve Vietnamese fishermen have been arrested for poaching endangered marine turtles, black corals and reef fishes in southern Philippines waters.

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) head Asis Perez said the Vietnamese and their Malaysian-flagged fishing boat were apprehended Monday by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and BFAR operatives 23 nautical miles (43 kilometers) off Pangutaran town in Jolo, Sulu.

PCG Lieutenant Ludovico Librilla Jr., in a statement sent to Sun.Star, reported that the foreign fishing boat was sighted in the area together with three others heading for Malaysia.

The Malaysian-flagged fishing vessel that was apprehended off Jolo, Sulu. (Photo courtesy of BFAR)

Librilla, who led the joint operations Wednesday, said his team is supposed to conduct a search and rescue operation of a passenger vessel, M/L Windolyn, which encountered an engine problem and is believed to have drifted elsewhere in the area last April 12 when they sighted the fishing boats.

He said while they intercepted one, the three others managed to flee toward Malaysia.

The coast guard said inside the boat were 50 pieces of dead marine turtles locally known as pawikan, five bundles of black corals and reef fishes, including the high-value but vanishing Napoleon wrasse and mameng.

The turtles, black corals and mameng are listed as endangered and/or threatened species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Cites is an international agreement between governments that aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

It had indicated that the population of marine turtles had extensively declined in all major ocean basins over the last three generations as a result of overexploitation of eggs and adult females at nesting beaches, as well as the juveniles and adults in foraging areas.

Photos courtesy of BFAR (Click to enlarge)

On the other hand, mameng is considered vulnerable because the bulk of the fishery for live fish, in east Malaysia, southwest Philippines and Indonesia (the major suppliers for the live reef fish trade and the centre of the species’ range) is selective for juvenile sized fish, since this is the preferred size class for consumers and gains the highest prices.

Mameng has a long life span of at least 30 years and becomes sexually matured only at six years.

Republic Act (RA) 8550, otherwise known as the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, prohibits poaching or the catching and taking of fish and other aquatic products by foreign fishing vessels in the Philippine waters. Section 87 of the Code slaps a fine of US$100T in addition to the confiscation of catch, fishing equipment and fishing vessel.

Moreover, the fishing or taking of rare, threatened or endangered species listed in the Cites such as mameng, black corals and pawikan is punishable by imprisonment of not less than 12 years or more than 25 years of imprisonment, a fine of P100,000 to P120,000 and forfeiture of catch as stipulated in Section 978 of RA 8550.

BFAR said administrative and criminal cases are being prepared against the fishermen.

The agency has intensified its campaign against illegal and destructive fishing, including poaching in the Philippine waters, together with the Philippine Coast Guard, the local government unit and other stakeholders. 

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SunStar.Com.Ph | April 25, 2012 | Article Link

5 injured in cruise ship fire off Tubbataha - Philippine Navy

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Philippines -- (UPDATE 3 - 1:55 p.m.) At least five passengers were injured when a fire struck a cruise ship off Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park between Palawan and Panay islands, authorities said Saturday.

The Philippine Coast Guard and Naval Forces West have dispatched several vessels to assist the Azamara Quest, which was reported to have 600 passengers, mostly Americans and Europeans, and a crew of 121 Filipinos.

Benito Ramos, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, and Eugene Cabrera, chief of the Office of Civil Defense for the Mimaropa region, said the Coast Guard received an emergency call from the ship around 7 a.m.

Cabrera described the fire as "minor."

The 30,000-gross ton, 181-meter long vessel was sailing from Manila to Indonesia.

"Our information is that the fire is under control but the ship needs to evacuate five injured passengers," Navforwest’s Commander Joseph Rostum Pena said.

The information belied an earlier travel alert posted on the website of cruise operator Azamara Club Cruises that none of the passengers had been hurt.

Cabrera said one of the injured passengers was in "unstable" condition. The rest sustained minor injuries.

The 570th Composite Air Wing also scrambled an aircraft to track down the vessel, which had reported it position at 45 nautical miles northeast of Mapun Island. Cabrera said the Coast Guard in Palawan plotted the ship at 140 miles from Sandakan, Malaysia.

Among the vessels on the way to the ship are PS31 and two vessels of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources from Zamboanga City, PG118 from Tawi-Tawi, Mpac from Jolo, and PG392 from Palawan.

Ramos and said the Coast Guard has also dispatched the BRP Edsa and BRP Romblon.

Cabrera said the ship's operators have also chartered a Malaysian tugboat to tow the vessel in case efforts to restore propulsion fail.

Pena said they also alerted the YL Fishing Company, which had a vessel plotted in the vicinity of the distressed ship, to help with the rescue efforts.

In its travel alert, Azamara Club Cruises said the fire broke out onboard the Azamara Quest around 8:19 p.m. Friday ship time and was quickly extinguished.

“There were no injuries of guests reported and the atmosphere aboard is calm,” the company claimed.

“The ship is still located 200 miles off the coast of Balikpapan, (Borneo), Indonesia, in calm seas,” the company said, adding engineers had restored power to one of the engines, restoring air conditioning, running water, plumbing and refrigeration, but that “the ship does not have propulsion capabilities at this time.”

The Azamara Quest was on a 17-night sailing that departed Hong Kong Monday, March 26, with scheduled port calls to Manila, Balikpapan (Borneo), Palapo (Sulawesi), Benoa Bali, Semarang and Komodo, Indonesia and ending in Singapore on Thursday, April 12, it said.

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Elmer Badilla and Abigail Kwok | InterAksyon.com | March 31, 2012 | Article Link