Stranded Chinese boat removed from Philippine reef
A Chinese fishing vessel is stranded after it ran aground on the Tubbataha reefs, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in the Sulu Sea in Palawan province, southwestern Philippines in this photo taken April 9 and released by the Philippine Coast Guard. The vessel with 12 crewmen ran aground in the protected coral reef, where a U.S. Navy minesweeper got stuck and had to be dismantled recently, officials said. (AP Photo/Philippine Coast Guard)
Members of the Philippine Coast Guard hold a frozen pangolin or scaly anteater on board a Chinese vessel that ran aground off Tubbataha coral reef, a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site, in the southwestern Philippines in this April 13 photo released by the Philippine Coast Guard in Manila. Authorities discovered more than 22,000 pounds of meat from the protected species inside the Chinese vessel F/N Min Long Yu. (AP Photo/ Philippine Coast Guard)
MANILA » A Chinese fishing boat found carrying thousands of pounds of scaly anteater meat has been removed from a Philippine marine sanctuary where it run aground last week, a coast guard spokesman said Saturday (Friday in Hawaii).
The F/V Min Long Yu was towed Saturday to the Palawan provincial capital of Puerto Princesa southwest of Manila, a day after it was extricated from the Tubbataha National Marine Park, Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo said.
The boat’s 12 Chinese crewmen have been in custody since they struck the UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site on April 8 and charged with poaching.
Balilo said the boat will be held in custody by the coast guard and will be checked again for any hidden compartments.
Authorities found no fish or any contraband on board during an initial inspection when they boarded the boat for the first time a day after it struck the reef.
During closer inspection days later, coast guard officers discovered 400 boxes, each containing 55-66 pounds of frozen pangolins, or scaly anteaters, with their scales already removed.
Wildlife officials are still trying to determine which of the four Asian pangolin species the meat comes from. The International Union of Conservation of Nature lists two as endangered: the Sunda, or Malayan, pangolin, and the Chinese pangolin. Two others, including the Philippine pangolin endemic to Palawan, are classified as near threatened.
The animals are protected in many Asian nations. Despite an international trade ban in effect since 2002, trade continues illicitly. The meat and scales of the pangolin are believed to cure various ailments.
Balilo said the Tubbataha Management Office, which oversees the marine park, will examine the extent of reef damage to determine the amount of fines to be imposed on the Chinese boat owners.
The U.S. minesweeper USS Guardian ran aground in another part of Tubbataha on Jan. 17 and was removed March 30 after being dismantled and lifted piece by piece by a crane to prevent more damage to the reef.
The agency in charge of the marine park has said it will impose a $1.4 million fine on the U.S. Navy after the wooden-hulled Guardian damaged about 24,757 square feet of corals.
The U.S. Pacific Fleet has relieved the commanding officer, the executive officer and navigator, the assistant navigator and the officer of the deck of the Guardian after initial findings indicated they had failed to adhere to standard navigation procedures at the time of the grounding.
