Limco-Logger

The 18 Vietnamese crew members of the "Unicorn Logger" have been detained after it ploughed into a coral reef in the central Philippines, a protected marine sanctuary off the tiny island of Sambawan: The crew remained detained aboard their vessel while the damage to the reef was assessed. The ship was to be towed for repairs to a shipyard in the central port of Cebu once the extent of the damage on the vessel was determined.

About 270 square meters of coral reefs have been damaged when the "Unicorn Logger" ran aground off the coast of Sambawan Island in Maripipi, Biliran. There was no sign of oil spil , but the coral reefs were hit. After a thorough check on the reefs, some of the corals destroyed by the vessel was more than 300 years old. The ship was carrying 1,607 pieces of lumber weighing about 806 tons and was sailing from Sandakan, Malaysia to Japan when it hit a shallow portion of the reef. "It inclined about four degrees during low tide but was already afloat around 2:19 p.m. on June 14. The ship has 18 Vietnamese crew members. The vessel was docked at the Naval port pending further inquiry by the PCG. It was to be taken to Cebu for repairs.

The "Unicorn Logger" being loaded with 836 tons of lumber ran aground off Maripipi Island at the Sambawan Islet in the Biliran province in the evening of June 13, 2013, being bound for Japan. The ship was trying to avoid a fishing vessel when it ran aground. It got stuck at Sambawan Islet at 7:10 p.m. The vessel had departed from Sandakan, Malaysia, on June 11 at 9 a.m. The vessel hit about 270 square meters of coral reefs. The site of the grounding was 50 to 60 meters from a beach resort maintained by the local government of Maripipi. The Philippine Coast Guard from Tacloban City was semt to assess the situation. The vessel had a Vietnamese crew of 18. The local government has offered assistance to the crew but they chose to stay on the vessel.