Tubbataha ecological assessment starts

MANILA, Philippines - Divers from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and US navy on Wednesday started the ecological assessment of the Tubbataha Reef, where the ex-USS Guardian ran aground last January 17.

PCG Palawan District head Commodore Enrico Evangelista said representatives of the Coast Guard Environmental Protection Command, Tubbataha Management Office (TMO), World Wildlife Fund, and US Navy will also proceed to the grounding site to join the assessment team.

During the ecological assessment, the divers will place markers and take photos of the area.

The team was scheduled to return to Puerto Princesa City in Palawan on Friday.

The USS Guardian ran aground off Tubbataha Reef last Jan. 17, with the TMO initially estimating some 4,000 square meters of the reef may have been damaged.

Salvage crews completed the removal of the vessel from the reef on Saturday.