Chinese ship damages Pag-asa reef with parachute anchor
A Chinese maritime militia vessel caused damage to about 464 square meters of coral reefs in Pag-asa Reef 1, scientists said.
The Palawan Council for Sustainable Deployment (PCSD), together with Western Philippine University and the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, assessed the damages, which were caused by the ship running aground on June 7.
According to a Philippine STAR report last month, the vessel with hull number 16838 was stuck for three hours before it was able to free itself without support from other ships.
While the ship's grounding did not cause the damage, scientists found a parachute anchor that was resting on 307 sqm of coral.
"'Yung damages po na nakita namin ay broken fragments po ng mga branch corals and chipped off fragments ng mga massive corals," PCSD field biologist Mark Dela Cruz said in a press conference on July 14.
He added that broken fragments from both hard and soft corals were seen.
"We conclude, based on our observation, that the damages on the reef at the impacted area were caused by the drag of the reef anchor."
Marine biologist Dr. Benjamin Gonzales said that the anchor parachute should be removed as soon as possible.
"[It] will continue to cover the corals, denying access to sunlight. Without sunlight, the coral reef will die," he said.
Gonzales added that further contact between the parachute anchor and the reef will also produce microplastic waste.
The incident took place approximately 2.6 nautical miles away from the coast of Pag-asa Island, which makes it within the zone protected under Republic Act 7611 or the Strategic Environment Plan for Palawan Act.
"No human activity is supposed to be allowed in there," PCSD Executive Director Teodoro Jose Matta said.
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea is seeking P11.1 million in damages against the Chinese vessel.
Meanwhile, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela said that this is the first documented case of a parachute anchor from a Chinese maritime militia vessel damaging coral reefs.
“I’m not sure what is the specific reason why they changed from the traditional anchor to the parachute anchor. This is very dangerous kasi naka-drag siya at nakaka-sira siya ng coral reef,” he said.
Tariella added that the parachute anchor is still on the reef a month after the incident.
