Salvage operations to re-float Castor II, a barge that ran aground off the coast of Barangay Bil-isan in Panglao early July, has still not commenced while no schedule has been set, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.
According to Seaman 2nd Class Renante Pino, PCG Panglao, the barge’s owner Concrete Solutions Inc. has still not given updates on when it will conduct salvage operations to move the sunken vessel.
Authorities of the PCG previously estimated that it would take two months before the barge is refloated using heavy equipment.
Castor II remains submerged near the said barangay while members of the PCG continue to monitor its state and effects to marine life in the area.
The PCG said that although the large vessel remained right off Panglao’s coast, fishing activities in the area have not been affected.
Authorities said that an oil spill from the barge is unlikely as Castor II was not run by a large engine.
However, the PCG has not determined whether corals and other marine life were damaged or harmed when the barge ran aground on July 2, 2016. (Allen Doydora)