USS Guardian Damages Tubbataha Reef in Sulu Sea.

     A United States warship ran aground in Tubbataha Reef in Sulu Sea a couple of days ago, causing substantial damage to the precious coral formations in the area. The USS Guardian, a mine sweeper got stuck on the protected marine sanctuary for still unknown cause. It was even unclear if the US warship had asked permission from the Philippine Government to sail on those parts of the sea, which is still part of our territory.

     The Philippine Coast Guard have dispatched 2 ships (so we do have ships that can still float and sail!) to investigate the incident and maybe help the US warship get out of that reef. The latest video footage taken by the Philippine Navy or by the Coast Guard showed that the the USS Guardian is being battered by huge waves and is now pushed further into the reef, causing more destruction to the corals. Marine experts fear that an oil spill from the damaged and crippled ship would exacerbate the situation and cause more harm on the marine life in Tubbataha Reef. 

     The Marine conservationists are urging the US Government to quickly remove its vessel from the area to prevent further mutilation of the coral reefs but that is not an easy task. The USS Guardian is a large ship and not just a small boat so removing it from the protected area would not be simple. The Philippine Government is planning to penalize the US Navy for all the damages made on the marine life on the area but experts say no amount of money can restore the damage done to the corals. It will take hundreds of years before the corals can return to its former state.

     The US Government should exert all efforts to get their vessel out of Tubbataha Reef Marine Park which is also a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site before more irreparable damage occurs. The Americans are and will always be our allies but we most also protect, preserve and respect our territory. Let's all help keep our natural resources from being destroyed....

     The US Navy experts are considering 3 options on how to remove the USS Guardian from the reef: 1) Lift the entire ship from the reef using a sea vessel equipped with a gigantic crane. 2) Drag the warship with bigger and more powerful sea crafts back to deeper waters. 3) Cut up the warship into smaller sections and remove it from the reef piece by piece.

     Let's wait and see how the US Navy can get their warship out of that reef....

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