PCG: Vietnamese ship tried to avoid fishermen

MANILA, Philippines - The Vietnamese ship that ran aground in a Biliran marine sanctuary did so because it was trying to avoid a group of fishermen in the area, a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) official said yesterday.

Lieutenant Paul Ryan Gonzales, PCG Tacloban station commander, said Vietnamese cargo ship M/V Unicorn Logger “saw some fishermen and it was trying to avoid them so the ship turned right and ran aground at the marine sanctuary.” The incident happened at 8:25 p.m. on June 13.

“They might not have noticed the small islet in the protected area because they claimed that during that time it was already evening, there was a thundershower and there were strong winds,” said Gonzales.

The Vietnamese vessel damaged 270 square meters of corals 60 to 80 meters southwest of Sambuan Island Marine Sanctuary.

The Vietnamese were reportedly fishing near but outside the protected area, according to Gonzales. He said fishermen prefer to fish at night for bigger catch.

The foreign ship, loaded with 1,607 pieces of logs, was reportedly en route from Malaysia to Japan when the incident happened.

Gonzales said cases of vessels running aground in the area were rare.

The 18 Vietnamese crew led by their captain Nguyen Anh Tuan have been restricted to their 5,691-gross ton ship.

“As per instructions by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) they are confined in their vessel. They cannot set foot on Philippine soil unless they have settled their liabilities on the corals that they damaged with the local government of Maripipi Island,” he said.

After settling its dues, the vessel – owned by Wisdom Marine Lines – would be allowed to proceed to a ship repair facility. Despite damage to its hull, the ship still has working machinery, propulsion, propeller and rudder. Its double steel hull design has reportedly kept it afloat despite the damage, according to officials.

Sen. Francis Escudero said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources should look deeper into the incident.

“We have to know where the vessel came from, where it is going, what business do they have in passing through Philippine shores, and what were they doing that led to the destruction of a large area of yet another of our coral reef sanctuary, a marine protected area,” Escudero, chairman of the Senate committee on environment and natural resources, said.

He said the incident may be similar to two cases of ships running aground at the World Heritage Tubbataha Reef in Palawan. – Evelyn Macairan, Marvin Sy