Second crane ship sent to Tubbataha

MANILA, Philippines - To make up for lost time, the second crane ship M/T Jascon 25 will proceed directly to Tubbataha Reef to help out in the salvaging operations for the USS Guardian, the US Navy minesweeper that ran aground in the reef last month.

Coast Guard Palawan District commander Commodore Enrico Efren Evangelista yesterday said Jascon would have a different voyage plan compared to the first but smaller crane barge Smit Borneo.

The first crane ship, Singapore-based Smit Borneo, made a stopover at Puerto Princesa on Feb. 3 to stock up on provisions and refuel before heading to Tubbataha Reef. It arrived at the atoll last Feb. 6.

But Borneo, hired by the US government, was unable to start with the salvaging operations because its anchors reportedly failed to latch on to the sandy bottom, thus compromising its stability.

This prompted authorities to wait for the arrival of the 14,829-gross ton and 118-meter-long M/T Jascon because it has a dynamic positioning system that does not require anchors to keep it stable.

Evangelista said the Jascon was delayed because of strong headwinds. The crane is expected to arrive at Tubbataha today.

But even if they are in a rush to finish the salvaging operations, Evangelista said the crane ship would not be exempted from undergoing the routine check.

“It would still go through the procedure of Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) inspection. The inspection would be done at the site on Sunday (Feb. 17).”

He added the CIQ inspectors would be airlifted by helicopter to reach Jascon at the coral reef.

“What we are after is the time. If the M/T Jascon 25 stops by Puerto Princesa it could mean a two-day delay in the operations because it has to travel 90 miles in order to reach Tubbataha Reef. It is just too far,” Evangelista said.

Just like Smit Borneo, Jascon has only a top speed of five knots and would have to travel 18 to 20 hours in order to reach the salvage site.

Since Jascon is bigger compared to Borneo, Evangelista explained it has a bigger fuel tank and does not need to refuel.

The Borneo is 110 meters in length and only 7,323 gross tons.

Apart from the two crane ships, the US earlier hired the services of salvaging ships M/T 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 Coast Guard’s BRP Romblon are also at the site.

Guardian left Subic on Jan. 15 at 9:55 a.m. and ran aground at the atoll on Jan. 17 between 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. as it was traveling toward Indonesia.

The 68-meter USS Guardian was reportedly carrying 15,000 gallons of automotive diesel oil.