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Crane ship returns to Tubbataha, readies tactics


A crane ship that arrived last weekend to help extricate the US minesweeper USS Guardian from Tubbataha Reef proceeded to the site before noon Tuesday to resume salvage work.
 
But Commodore Enrico Evangelista, head of Task Force Tubbataha, said the progress of the work will still depend on weather conditions in the area.
 
"Nakarating kanina ang JASCON 25 sa Tubbataha at pumupwesto [na]," Evangelista said in an interview on dzBB radio.
 
When asked if the JASCON 25 may retreat if weather conditions worsen, he said: "Pag kinakailangan [bumalik], ganoon [ang] mangyayari... for safety purposes." 
 
The JASCON 25 arrived last weekend but could not immediately start work due to bad weather conditions.
 
JASCON 25 is expected to be the lead ship in the salvage operations to reemove the USS Guardian, which ran aground on Tubbataha Reef last Jan. 17.
 
It is valued for its dynamic positioning capability, which allows it to establish position without need for an anchor.
 
A separate report by dzBB's Carlo Mateo quoted Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo as saying that JASCON 25 arrived near Tubbataha Reef at 9:30 a.m.
 
It said the JASCON 25's crew studied possible tactics, including the movement of the waves, to see how they can get their job done soonest.
 
"Pero lahat yan nakadepende sa weather condition. Malaki ang magiging alon doon bukas, yan isang kino-consider, ang weather condition sa area," Evangelista said.
 
Evangelista also said that while the ship's crew will seek to speed up its work, it also has to be careful.
 
He also said the impact of the salvage work on the environment is another major factor.
 
"Kailangan maingat din, kailangan iwasan ang accident. I-consider din dapat ang impact sa environment," he said. — RSJ, GMA News
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