F/V Min Long Yu, the Chinese vessel that got stuck at the Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park, has been towed from where it ran aground, the Philippine Coast Guard said Friday.
According to PCG commandant Rear Admiral Rodolfo Isorena, the ship was pulled free early Friday afternoon. Coast Guard divers will still have to check the ship’s hull for damage before it can be towed to Puerto Princesa City in Palawan.
Once in Puerto Princesa, the Min Long Yu will undergo a detailed inspection, especially after boxes of frozen anteaters were found in the ship’s cargo hold. All evidence will be turned over to the Philippine Council for Illegal Entrants, which is in charge of filing cases against the 12 members of the ship’s crew.
Tubbataha, a UNESCO Heritage Site, was previously damaged when the USS Guardian ran aground in January. The ship, which the US Navy decomissioned in February, was stuck on the reef until March.
The Min Long Yu ran aground in April.
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Photo: Tubbataha Management Office via WWF.org.ph
