Tag Archives: Philippines
Update: Chinese Vessel Did More Damage to Tubbataha Reef than USS Guardian
Despite being smaller than the USS Guardian and spending less time aground on the Tubbataha reef, the Chinese fishing vessel F/V Min Long Yu, which ran aground on the protected reef on April 8, apparently did more damage than the US Navy minesweeper. In addition … Continue reading
Chinese Boat Loaded with Illegal Cargo of Endangered Species Ran Aground on Protected Tubbataha Reef
You can’t make this stuff up. Only a week after the last wreckage of the minesweeper USS Guardian was removed from the reef in the Philippines’ Tubbataha National Marine Park, a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site, where it ran hard aground on January … Continue reading
USS Guardian Decommissioned in Japan While Salvage Delayed on Reef by Weather
Today in Japan, the US Navy officially decommissioned the minesweeper USS Guardian. On the Tubbataha Reef, where the ship ran aground on January 17, salvage operations have again been delayed by bad weather. The salvage plan is to cut the ship into pieces and to haul … Continue reading
Minesweeper USS Guardian Runs Aground on Reef in Philippines’ Tubbataha National Marine Park
The minesweeper USS Guardian ran aground early this morning on a reef in the Philippines’ Tubbataha National Marine Park. The park is a World Heritage Site in the Sulu Sea, 640 kilometers (400 miles) southeast of Manila. USS Guardian is an … Continue reading
South China Sea – Is the Cold War Between China and its Neighbors Heating Up?
Last month we posted about a stand-off between Chinese fishing vessels and Philippine Coast Guard ships at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Both nations claim sovereignty over the area. Even the island name is in contention. The Philipines refers to Scarborough Shoal as Panatag … Continue reading
Large Reward for Whistle-blowing Engineer on M/V Aquarosa
When US Coast Guard inspectors came aboard the bulk carrier M/V Aquarosa in Baltimore in February of 2011, a junior engineer slipped them a note, which read, “I have sometheng to till you but secret.” The engineer, Salvatore Lopez, from the Philippines, had collected evidence of the illegal … Continue reading
MV Double Prosperity Aground, Damaging Reef in Philippine’s Sarangani Bay Marine Sanctuary
The perhaps poorly named MV Double Prosperity, loaded with 65,000 tons of coal, grounded on Bakud Reef on Sunday in Sarangani Bay in the Philippines. Stranded ship threatens Philippine reef
The Pineapple has landed – 5 missing Americans arrive in Philippines
Five sailors aboard the catamaran Pineapple, which had been reported missing last Tuesday have arrived in the port of Maasin on Leyte Island, in the Philippines after being escorted in by the Philippines Coast Guard. The 38 foot catamaran suffered rudder damage in … Continue reading
South China Braces for “Super-Typhoon” Megi
After killing more than 20 people in the Philippines and lashing Taiwan, where dozens are reported missing, “super-typhoon” Megi is poised to make landfall in South China today or Saturday. Typhoon Megi is the the strongest storm to hit the region in more than … Continue reading
The unseen tragedy behind Superferry 9
I’ve always been struck by the tragedy that those most in need of ferry service are often also most at risk. We have seen recent ferry accidents in the Philippines with the sinking of the Superferry 9 resulting in nine deaths, in … Continue reading
