Yellow Submarine gets okay, is under watch

The Cebu Yellow Submarine resumed its operation last Saturday  in waters of Mactan, a  day after receiving a one-month permit from the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) and over  a month after it was forced to suspend trips.

The special permit is  valid  until July 13.

“There still exists an urgent need to operate both vessels brought about by the influx of foreign tourists and local tourists…With the approval, it can help boost the tourism industry as well as the economy in the area,” said the order  signed by Marina Regional Direcotr Nannette Villamor-Dinopol.

The permit specifies that the submarine can only operate 500 meters from the shoreline.

The Korean-owned tour operator was earlier forced to suspend  operation in April 29 after  the submarine was videotaped hitting a wall of corals in the Kontiki Wall,  a popular dive spot.

Jun Kim, general manager of the Cebu Yellow Submarine and Undersea Tour Corp.,  said they plan a formal relaunch in the days ahead.

They received a copy of their Marina permit, which was a renewal, on  June 13 and furnished a copy to the Lapu-Lapu City government.

Kim, who thanked the Lapu-Lapu City government for letting them resume their  business, said they  “will continue to be very careful in operating the submarine” in the future.

Andy Berame, who heads the Lapu-Lapu City Coastal Law Enforcement Office and Task Force Kalikasan, rode the Yellow Submarine together with Kim’s immediate family and  guests of the Imperial Palace.

The company was allowed to sail the submarine on  condition that some marshals from Lapu-Lapu City Hall would ill monitor the daily trips of the vessel along the Kontiki Wall.

The submarine tours were suspended last April while the Lapu-Lapu city government was investigating an amateur video uploaded by Japanese diver Satoshi Toyoda entitled “Coral Crusher” on YouTube.

The video showed the submarine hitting part of the  coral reef.

For bringing the marine accident to public attention,  Toyoda received a plaque of recognition from the Lapu-Lapu city government which celebrated its 52nd charter day yesterday.

The management of the Cebu Yellow Submarine earlier apologized for the incident.

The Lapu-Lapu city government has yet to release a report on the cost of damage caused by the submarine accident.

An undersea  inventory was done by the Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation (CCEF).

The Cebu Yellow Submarine now operates four times daily at 10 a.m.  11 a.m., 2  p.m.  and 3 p.m.

Passengers are charged P1,200  per trip. Children aged 5 to 13 years old pay P800 each.

Aside from marshals, scuba divers are also on standby to monitor the Kontiki drop and the submarine’s route.

Berame said the CCEF’s report is being reviewed by the City Legal Office, which tapped the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in assessing the damages wrought by the Yellow Submarine. /Marian Z. Codilla, Senior Reporter with Correspondent Norman V. Mendoza