The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications, and Search and Rescue (NCSR) has approved the Philippine proposal to establish the entire Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP) in the Sulu Sea as an Area to be Avoided (ATBA) to protect the fragile marine environment. Under the proposal, ship masters sailing through the Sulu Sea will be guided to plot a course that will not enter the Tubbataha Reefs and thereby reduce, if not eliminate, the risk of accidental ship grounding by keeping ships well away from the area. The TRNP is designated as a national Marine Protected Area through Republic Act No. 10067.

Pilapil, J. R. (2017, March 16). IMO approves plan to protect tubbataha reefs. The Manila Times, p. A2.