Bigger crane ship arriving to help remove US minesweeper

A bigger crane ship is expected to arrive to help extricate the US Navy minesweeper that ran aground in Tubbataha Reef, Coast Guard commandant Rear Admiral Rodolfo Isorena said yesterday.

The M/T Jascon, which may arrive next week, will lift the heavy section of the grounded USS Guardian, Isorena said.

Even without the M/T Jascon, those salvaging the minesweeper can start removing its upper deck, mast and smokestack, he added. Coast Guard spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said it would take six days for the M/T Jascon to sail from Singapore to Puerto Princesa, and then proceed to Tubbataha.

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