Private tugboats sent to rescue Navy ship 4 days after running aground in West PH Sea
FOUR days after a Philippine frigate ran aground in the area of the West Philippine Sea, authorities are still trying to extricate the ship.
Two tugboats from private firms have been tapped although several countries, including the US, China and South Korea, offered to provide equipment that would remove the BRP Gregorio del Pilar (FF-15), the Philippine Navy’s flagship, which has been stuck at the Hasa-hasa (Half Moon) shoal, between Pagasa (Thitu) Island and the southern tip of Palawan, since Wednesday, according to Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad, Navy chief.
He said the Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard did not have equipment capable of salvaging big ships.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said there were more than 100 Navy personnel and officers in the warship, which damaged its propellers, during the accident.
Empedrad said despite the damage, the ship was “intact” and the crew “safe.”
“They are in good condition and I also sent a team to provide assistance to the ship’s crew on what to do during the retrieval operation,” he told reporters in an interview, adding the Navy is on top of the situation. DEMPSEY REYES
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