P.6 M sought for Albay coral reef damage

LEGAZPI CITY  , Philippines  —   The city government here has asked the owner of a cargo vessel that ran aground and destroyed around 200 square meters of coral reef in Albay Gulf to pay P665,000 in damages.

Mayor Noel Rosal said the captain of MV Jerly Lily gave assurance yesterday that they would pay the amount.

Rosal said the cargo vessel was loaded with copra when it ran aground in Pasig Reef off Barangay Arimbay.

“Obviously it was only an accident... The ship captain did not notice that it was low tide when he tried to dock at the Legazpi Oil port. The strong current could have contributed to the accident,” Rosal told The STAR.

Capt. Armand Balilo, Philippine Coast Guard spokesman, said the ship captain could have miscalculated the water level.

Five years ago, a Vietnamese vessel was asked to pay P4 million in damages after it ran aground into a coral reef also in Albay Gulf.