On the final stage of dismantling a US ship that ran aground on Tabbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea, salvor ships and crew will cut the hull in four sections this week and bore holes for steel cables of giant cranes that will lift them out of the water, Coast Guard officials said on Monday. Task Force Tubbataha Chief Enrico Efren Evangelista said the hull, which is four layers of wood with the outer portion made of oak, will be cut in four sections in six straight days of good weather conditions. �Once the hull is completely cut, it will be lifted immediately,� Evangelista said. The USS Guardian, a 68-meter long minesweeper, ran aground on January 17 on Tubbataha Reef, a marine sanctuary, while transiting the Sulu Sea. Marine biologists estimated about 4,000 square meters of corals were destroyed.

Zurbano, J. (2013, Mach 26). 'Tubbataha' to cut US ship in 4 sections. Manila Standard, p. A3.