800 sq. m. of corals damaged by grounded Panamanian ship in GenSan
Lastimoso said they have endorsed the damage assessment of the office of City Mayor Ronnel Rivera and the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) for appropriate action.[]
He said the owners and crew members of MV Tiara 108 could be charged for violation of Republic Act 7586 or the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 1992.
The damaged area is part of the Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape, which covers a total of 211,913 hectares.
M/V Tiara 108, which came from Papua New Guinea, was on its way to the city fishport complex when it drifted and got stuck at around 0.3 nautical mile from the coastline of Bawing Beach here.
Crew members of the vessel, which was carrying some 3,933 metric tons of frozen tuna, reportedly miscalculated its course after evading some small fishing vessels.
The vessel, which is currently docked at the city fish port complex, was removed through the help of salvor ships a day after it was stranded.
Lt. Rolando Lorenzana, commander of the Philippine Coast Guard station here, said there were no signs of an oil spill in the area based on the surface inspection that they conducted.[]
He said that except for minor paint scratches, the vessel did not incur cracks or dents on its hull, rudder and propeller.
The PCG station initially cleared the vessel after “concluding that the integrity of its hull is intact and is, therefore, safe to navigate.” (MindaNews)
