A United Nations specialized agency tasked to improve safety and security of international shipping has added a layer of protection to the Tubbataha Reef with the approval of the country’s proposal to establish the 97,030-hectare marine sanctuary in the Sulu Sea as an Area to be Avoided(Atba). With the ATBA as the sole associated protective measure over the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP), ships sailing through the Sulu Sea will be guided to plot a course that will not enter the area, said the DFA. The approval of the Atba was a result of a decision of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee to give Tubbataha the designation in principle as a particularly sensitive sea area during its session in 2016.

Uy, J. R. (2017, March 20). Ph bid to establish sulu marine sanctuary ok'd. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A12.