A dive yacht that ran aground in the western Philippines earlier this month has been successfully refloated and towed to port.
The 173GT Philippine Siren 2 was removed from a shallow portion of the Tubbataha Reef National Park at around 06:10 local time on Saturday, June 20. The vessel was towed to Puerto Princesa City on Palawan Island and arrived there at noon on Monday, June 22.
The Philippine Coast Guard Parola-class multi-role response vessel (MRRV) BRP Cape Engaño escorted the convoy to Puerto Princesa. The MRRV had also been one of the first assets to arrive in the area following the grounding.
The yacht suffered cracks and breaches in multiple areas as a result of the grounding, hence the decision of local authorities to have her refloated and removed to prevent damage to the surrounding marine environment.
Philippine Siren 2 was at anchor some seven nautical miles off Palawan's Tubbataha Reef National Park on a scheduled dive trip when a sudden squall caused her to run aground on the morning of June 14.
All 14 of the yacht's passengers and four of its 10 crewmembers were later safely evacuated onto another yacht that had diverted to the area. This other yacht transported the rescued occupants to Puerto Princesa City later that same day while the six other crewmembers stayed behind to monitor the situation.
