BOLINAO, Pangasinan – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), local government unit, and the provincial environment office are coordinating with the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UPMSI) for the assessment of the damage of the coral sanctuary in Silaqui Island here that was hit by a barge.
In an interview on Wednesday, PCG-Pangasinan station chief, Commander Mark Theodore Valencia, said the barge was seen at 1.5 nautical miles away from the shoreline of Silaqui Island.
However, the damage has yet to be determined by divers of the UPMSI, in coordination with other national government agencies.
“We have requested assistance for the assessment on the incident,” Valencia said.
He said the vessel was unmanned and had no cargo on board and there were no sighted traces of oil at the grounding site as the barge was non-propelled and had no oil.
The assessment began Tuesday but was later halted due to rough sea conditions in the area.
Valencia said the barge was attached to a boat, owned by a Singapore-based company, which encountered high waves and strong wind as it passed through the Ilocos region going to Taipei from Malaysia during the onslaught of Tropical Storm Odette.
“Due to the high waves and strong winds, the barge was detached from the main boat and drifted to Silaqui Island. It was discovered on December 27 to which we responded to inspect,” he said.
Valencia said the main boat is in Sta. Cruz, Zambales and waiting for the instruction from its company while the assessment on the damage to the coral sanctuary is ongoing.
“We have also contacted the local representative of the company to discuss the incident involving their barge,” he added. (PNA)