TACLOBAN CITY – Following the demand of the local government of Guiuan in Eastern Samar for the immediate removal of the Chinese vessel carrying 55,000 metric tons of nickel ore that ran aground in Barangay Sulangan, Guiuan on Tuesday, April 18, representatives from SMIT Salvage Pte Ltd. said they will conduct the refloating operations and repairs of the grounded ship MV Zhe Hai 168 next week.
In a meeting with Guiuan Mayor Annaliza Gonzales-Kwan, the salvors said vessel owners will send bulk carrier MV Zhe Hai 169, the sister ship of MV Zhe Hai 168, to the municipality from China.
They expect the vessel to arrive on May 1 or 2, purposely to transfer the cargo of the grounded ship to MV Zhe Hai 169, for transport to China.
Kwan emphasized the need to secure permits for the salvage operations and the transfer of cargo to a new ship from the Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Customs, and Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
She also required the salvors to secure a mayor's permit for conducting business in Guiuan.
Kwan expressed concern about the possibility of an oil spill upon the completion of the refloating operations.
However, the salvors assured the local government unit that there will be no oil spill or pollution since the crew of the MV Zhe Hai 168 immediately transferred the fuel to another tank upon grounding and necessary repairs will be conducted by the salvors.
The initial plan is to transfer 14,000 metric tons of cargo from the grounded ship to the MV Zhe Hai 169 to refloat the grounded ship by about one meter. The salvors expect to complete the transfer of cargo by May 10.
The salvage team will also inspect the damage on the ship's hull and proceed with repairs.
They will move the grounded ship to a safe anchorage where Kwan suggested Homonhon Island also in Guiuan.
The salvors reported that the ship owners will send a reef surveyor from the insurance company to conduct a joint assessment, pre-grounding inspection, and post-refloating inspection once the grounded ship is refloated with the Protected Area Management Office (PAMO).
It is only then that a definitive assessment of the damages can be made and the computations for the cost of damage be finalized.
DENR-PAMO has reported that they have been unable to conduct a dive inspection due to the location of the ship grounding. They have requested master divers from DENR Regional Office 8 and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources for assistance.