7 ships still stranded in Yolanda areas a year later

MANILA, Philippines – Nearly a year after Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) cast a wide swath of destruction in Tacloban City and Eastern Samar, only half of the ships stranded by the typhoon have been removed or scrapped.

Lieutenant Paul Ryan Gonzales, commander of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Station in Tacloban, noted that 7 grounded ships are still being scrapped and have yet to undertake removal operations.

Yolanda washed 15 commercial vessels inland – 10 in Tacloban and 5 in Guiuan. Also stranded were a dredger owned by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and a ship owned by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

Gonzales said only 8 of these ships were removed as the ship owners faced delays in their insurance claims that would have been used for salvaging operations.

“There are barangay officials who ask for damage assistance [from ship owners], Gonzales said.

Gonzales added that “the other companies would say they have no responsibility because it was a force of nature and they did not want that to happen. By law, they are not mandated to recompensate what were damaged.”

In Tacloban City, the ships that have stayed grounded are the:

• M/V Ligaya V
• M/V Eva Jocelyn
• M/V RKK Uno
• M/V Tomi Elegance
• M/V Jaguar

In Guiuan, still stranded are the:

• M/V Eastern Star
• Barge Vicente-1

Apart from the delayed documentation for insurance claims, another reason for the delayed removal of the vessels is the lack of space for salvage operations, Gonzales said.

“One of the problems of the salvage company is the place is cramped,” he said.

“Those living in the barangays already make shanties (near the ship) and when they (salvors) work, they won’t leave without compensation. That is why it (vessels’ removal) is taking long,” he added.

Vessel owners were originally given 90 days to remove their ships after Yolanda hit Tacloban City and Guiuan in November last year.

The PCG would find ways to salvage the ships at the expense of the owners if they were unable to do so. – Rappler.com