‘Mameng’ among marine life threatened by ship moored off Sarangani

ALABEL, Sarangani Province—The coal-carrying ship that rammed Bakud Reef off Kiamba town more than three weeks ago continues to threaten the survival of various marine species, including the endangered Napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus undulates), marine experts said.

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Napoleon wrasse, locally known as “mameng,“ occurs patchily in the Indo-Pacific region and is one of the two most highly valued fish in the luxury live reef fish trade on a per kilogram basis.

Noted as the largest living member of the Labridae family, male mamengs can reach up to two meters in length.

“It is a WWF priority species,” the organization said. In its website, WWF claimed it treats “priority species as one of the most ecologically, economically and or culturally important species on our planet.”

Dr. Cleto Nañola Jr. of the University of the Philippines said in a recent e-mail to provincial legal officer Arnel Zapatos, that Bakud Reef and other “coral reefs in Kiamba are one of the most productive reefs in the country with estimated fish biomass falls on the high category at 21 to 40 metric tons per square kilometers.”

Also, the municipal planning and development office of Kiamba said “schools of talakitok (trevally) and salmonete (mullet) were seen in the reef, including mameng (Napoleon wrasse).”

Nañola said the recovery of the damaged reef could take time, maybe up to 10 years, and that would affect how fish species survive there.

The Panamanian-registered MV Double Prosperity, which is twice the size of a football field, was carrying 66,000 tons of coal from Australia to India when it rammed into Bakud Reef, seven kilometers off Kiamba, on May 8.

Its all-Filipino crew told investigators they miscalculated their navigational route.

But Gov. Miguel Dominguez said it could be more than just miscalculation.

He said the crew might have been trying to pick up clearer television signal to watch the Pacquiao-Mosley fight when the incident took place.

Meanwhile, the moored ship could be finally re-floated between Wednesday and Friday, the Coast Guard said.

Salvage master Daniel Sarmiento of the Malay Towage Company said high-tide could happen by then and it would hasten the towing of the cargo vessel.

“We are going to unload 8,000 metric tons of coal then transfer it to a chartered ship and a barge to lighten the vessel,” Sarmiento said.

The ship’s ballasts had already been emptied of water and pressurized in order to add buoyancy particularly at the fore of the ship, he said.