Coast Guard: Tubbataha off limits

MANILA, Philippines - The Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, which serves as sanctuary for diverse marine species, is now off limits to vessels.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has advised all Philippine-flag ships to avoid passing through Tubbataha Reef after the International Maritime Organization (IMO) declared it necessary to protect the fragile marine environment there.

The PCG is set to issue a notice to mariners in all Philippine-flag vessels, preventing them from passing through Tubbataha after the IMO sub-committee on navigation, communication and search and rescue approved the Philippine proposal to declare the entire park as an Area to be Avoided. 

By identifying the park as such, ship captains sailing through the Sulu Sea would be duly guided when plotting their course, to reduce incidents if not eliminate the risk of accidental ship grounding. 

In recent history, there have been two instances wherein foreign ships ran aground in Tubbataha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.