Stupid people could have avoided the grounding with the
simple measure of putting a lookout forward.

CN


"Bob Crantz" wrote in message nk.net...
| Greenpeace fined for reef damage
|
| Greenpeace divers were inspecting Tubbataha's reefs for damage
| Environmental group Greenpeace has been fined almost $7,000 (£4,000) for
| damaging a coral reef at a World Heritage site in the Philippines.
| Their flagship Rainbow Warrior II ran aground at Tubbataha Reef Marine Park,
| in the Sulu Sea, 650km (400 miles) south-east of Manila.
|
| Park officials said almost 100 sq m (1,076 sq ft) of reef had been damaged.
|
| Greenpeace agreed to pay the fine, but blamed the accident on outdated maps
| provided by the Philippines government.
|
| "The chart indicated we were a mile and a half" from the coral reef when the
| ship ran aground, regional Greenpeace official Red Constantino told AFP news
| agency.
|
| "This accident could have been avoided if the chart was accurate," he said,
| adding, however, that Greenpeace felt "responsible" for the damage.
|
| 'Immediate action'
|
| The accident happened while the Rainbow Warrior was on a four-month tour of
| the Asia-Pacific region to promote environmentally-friendly energy sources.
|
| Greenpeace divers were at the Tubbataha park, off the coast of Palawan
| island, to inspect the effect of global warming on the coral reef.
|
|
| The Rainbow Warrior escaped serious damage
| Mr Constantino said the reef appeared to be healthy, with no evidence of
| bleaching which is believed to be caused by warmer sea temperatures.
|
| The Rainbow Warrior II escaped serious damage and was towed into deeper
| water by its own rubber boats.
|
| Tubbataha park manager, Angelique Songco, praised the work Greenpeace was
| doing to protect the environment.
|
| "We also appreciate the immediate action they took to get the full
| assessment of the damage," she said.
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