Ship aground on Mindanao coral reef towed away

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines—The Panama-registered bulk carrier that ran aground on the Bakud Reef off Sarangani province was finally towed away Wednesday, more than a month after it plowed through the corals and got stuck there, a provincial official said.

Arnel Zapatos, provincial legal officer, told the Inquirer by phone that the MV Double Prosperity was finally re-floated around 5:49 a.m.

“The vessel was pulled from the reef early morning Wednesday and it is now under the custody of the Philippine Coast Guard,” Zapatos said.

The 224-meter-long cargo ship, manned mostly by Filipinos, was on its way to India from Australia with 66,000 tons of coal when it ran aground seven kilometers off the town of Kiamba on May 8.

In subsequent investigations, the crew pointed to human error as the cause of the accident, which damaged a section of the Bakud Reef, an important marine sanctuary in Sarangani province.

But Sarangani Governor Miguel Dominguez said he believed the ship ran aground because the crew was busy watching the Pacquiao-Mosley fight at the time and had left the ship on auto pilot.

Dominguez said the Coast Guard report said no one was manning the vessel’s bridge at the time.

The ship plowed through the corals and marine experts who conducted an examination estimated the damage to the Bakud Reef at P40 to P60 million although it was not immediately clear what the amount was based on.

The ship’s operator hired an independent expert who confirmed the earlier findings.

In an effort to prevent more damage to the reef, the Sarangani government and the Coast Guard agreed to tap the help of a Malaysian towing firm.

Early attempt to remove the vessel failed, even after some of the coal was unloaded.

“Now that MV Double prosperity was pulled out, our local marine experts can now determine the extent of actual damage to the coral colony,” Zapatos said.

Zapatos said the vessel was to be taken to the Coast Guard station in Davao City anytime this week and that it would be moored there until the all issues with the ship’s owners are resolved.

He said the owner of the vessel had expressed willingness to pay for the damage to the reef, including subsequent expenses for re-floating the vessel, but the total amount was still being negotiated.

“The vessel will be given clearance to sail again into the sea once the owner has settled that obligation,” Zapatos said.