Tubbataha Damage Compensation Talks Still in Progress

Talks are still underway between the US and the Philippines on compensation for damages inflicted by grounding of the USS Guardian, the Phillippine Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.

The US Navy minesweeper USS Guardian (MCM 5) ran aground on Tubbataha Reef Jan. 17, while transiting the Sulu Sea. Damages caused by the grounding are estimated to be 4,000 square meters of coral reefs in Tubbataha.

No fuel has leaked since the grounding and all of the approximately 15,000 gallons aboard Guardian were safely transferred off the ship.

The U.S. has been fined by the Philippines with P58 million in damage claims.

“We will continue our on going discussions with the US government on the matter of securing full compensation for the damage caused to the Tubbataha Reef, and will be guided by the Supreme Court decision and the advice of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG),” the DFA said in a statement.