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Southeast Asia
Greenpeace damages Philippines reef
2005-11-01
Greenpeace is to be fined after its flagship Rainbow Warrior II damaged a coral reef in the central Philippines during a climate change awareness campaign. The ship's bow sliced through a reef formation measuring 160sq m. The ship and its crew were assessed a 640,000-peso ($15,000) fine after the 55m motor-assisted schooner ran aground at the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park yesterday, park manager Angelique Songco said. A Greenpeace official in the Philippines described the incident as accidental, and said it would comply with the marine park authorities' ruling.
We'd like to see a copy of the cancelled check though. Front and back.
Rainbow Warrior II arrived in the reservation in the middle of the Sulu Sea, about 600km south of Manila, last weekend as part of a four-month Asia-Pacific campaign to promote earth-friendly energy sources, Greenpeace campaign manager Red Constantino said. He said the crew made dive sorties to inspect the effect of global warming on the coral formation. "The chart indicated we were a mile and a half" from the coral reef when the ship ran aground, Mr Constantino said. He said the August 2005 navigational map was provided by the mapping office of the Philippine Government. The ship's own rubber boats safely towed it into deeper water, and it escaped serious damage. Mr Constantino said the ship was now heading back to the Puerto Princesa on the western island of Palawan to file an incident report with the marine park office. Mr Constantino said that Greenpeace divers on the Tubbataha expedition had found that healthy coral and no evidence of bleaching, believed to be caused by warming sea temperatures. He said the healthy state of the Tubbataha Reefs did not disprove the theory of global warming, which he described as an "extremely complicated science".
"Ever so complicated. It takes a full crew of highly trained professionals to [Bonk][Thud][CRUNCH] er, we'll get back to you...Claude, you idiot..."
Posted by:God Save The World AKA Oztralian

#18  Rubber is made from the sap of the rubber tree. However, and this is a biggie, almost all the rubber trees on the plantations are clones, and some killing disease is going through them... along the lines of Dutch Elm Disease or whatever wiped out the American Chestnut trees. Last I heard, we may be the last generation to have natural rubber for tires (tyres) and things.
Posted by: trailing wife   2005-11-01 22:47  

#17  I think Greenpeace should put Thor Hyerdahl in charge of their ship building.
Posted by: Xbalanke   2005-11-01 16:58  

#16  He said the healthy state of the Tubbataha Reefs did not disprove the theory of global warming, which he described as an "extremely complicated science".

Evidence fits: "Global Warming"
Evidence DOESN'T fit: "extremely complicated science". Pissed off. Ram coral reef with boat.
Posted by: tu3031   2005-11-01 16:09  

#15  These guys are too stoned to do anything right.
Posted by: mmurray821   2005-11-01 16:01  

#14  I still can't figure out why Greenpeace wants to shave the whales.
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2005-11-01 16:00  

#13  There's just too much in this story to make fun of, but I'll try:

The ship and its crew were assessed a 640,000-peso ($15,000) fine after the 55m motor-assisted schooner ran aground at the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park yesterday, park manager Angelique Songco said.

Well, if one truly believed in global warming, then shouldn't one be expected to do away with all fossil-fuel burning instruments, including motors? Reminds me of the video I saw on World's Funniest Videos one night of some GP Yahoo riding a jet-ski off the Alaskan coast, trying to interrupt the Eskimos (who, by the way, was in an ecologically friendly canoe) from hunting whales, when the Coast Guard was called in. This yahoo cut right in front of the Coast Guard cutter (ya know, the kind that doesn't turn on a dime), and, whoops, the cutter ran right over her and her jet-ski. Don't think she was seriously injured, but it gave me a good chuckle.

He said the August 2005 navigational map was provided by the mapping office of the Philippine Government.

Obviously, charts from before Halliburton - Tsunami Division got a hold of the area, eh?

The ship's own rubber boats safely towed it into deeper water, and it escaped serious damage.

You mean, they don't have boats made of hemp? Don't they know what rubber is made of? Egads, it's made from fossil fuels too. Oh, the hypocrisy of it all.
Posted by: BA   2005-11-01 13:02  

#12  the August 2005 navigational map was provided by the mapping office of the Philippine Government

there's your problem
Posted by: bk   2005-11-01 11:08  

#11  I just had a thought...GP oughta rename the ship the "GSS* Global Warming" and ram reefs all over the world to highlight the damage to the environment caused by...you got it - global warming.

* G stands for Gaia
Posted by: Seafarious   2005-11-01 10:18  

#10  The ship's own rubber boats safely towed it into deeper water, and it escaped serious damage.

Back to the drawing board boys!
Posted by: Haliburtion Coral Reef Ram Division   2005-11-01 09:29  

#9  Sonar might damage the fragile ears of whales and dolphins in the area.
Posted by: Dick Lynes   2005-11-01 09:06  

#8  Guess someone forgot to turn on the sonar!
Posted by: raptor   2005-11-01 08:14  

#7  "The chart indicated we were a mile and a half" from the coral reef when the ship ran aground

And just where did they learn to trust charts?
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2005-11-01 07:43  

#6  I think the capt. was HAMMERED!!!!
Posted by: ARMYGUY   2005-11-01 07:33  

#5  Now that's a hoot!! What a bunch of maroons.
Posted by: anymouse   2005-11-01 07:31  

#4  Must of been a French secret commando reef
Posted by: Cheaderhead   2005-11-01 06:50  

#3  Heh.
Posted by: .Halliburton Ratfucker Division / GPS Spoof Team   2005-11-01 02:58  

#2  *Crickets*
Posted by: Seafarious   2005-11-01 02:24  

#1  He said the crew made dive sorties to inspect the effect of global warming on the coral formation. "The chart indicated we were a mile and a half" from the coral reef when the ship ran aground

Translation: We didn't like the data we were getting from the divers, so we fudged it a bit by ramming the reef.
Posted by: badanov   2005-11-01 02:13  

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