Manila: The United States and the Philippines have agreed to dismantle a 68.3 metre US Navy warship and remove its parts with the help of crane ships.

A joint statement issued on Wednesday said the salvage ships will be anchored far from the coral bed of a United Nations heritage-listed and protected marine park in southwestern Philippines.

Both governments have agreed that “preventing further damage to the reef [at the Tubbataha Marine Park] is a top priority,” said the statement.

“The United States is coordinating closely with Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in the salvage operation to extract the [US Navy’s] USS Guardian from the reef,” it added.

Giving more details of the approved salvage plan, the Tubbataha Protected Area Management Board (TPAMB) said a crane-bearing salvage ship will drop anchor one kilometre away from the protected coral walls of the Tubbataha Reef.

Another ship will drop anchor 274 metres away from the wall of the protected coral bed, TPAMB said.

Citing other details agreed upon in the salvage procedure, TPAMB said that nets used to collect debris should have small holes to prevent the accidental catching of marine fauna off the Tubbataha Reef.

Captains and crews of the ships involved in the salvage operation are “held accountable for compliance or lack of compliance with the rules of marine protection,” TPAMB said, adding that members of the Tubbataha Management Office (TMO), will be on all vessels involved in the salvation procedure.

Representatives of the US and Philippine governments will jointly undertake pre and post-salvage assessments of the procedure, TPAMB said.

But no date was mentioned for the start of the salvage operation.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr, in a meeting with Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario also on late Tuesday, gave an assurance that the US will provide appropriate compensation for the ship’s damage to the reef.

The area damaged by the USS Guardian varies from 1,600 to 4,000 and to 8,000 square metres, according to conflicting reports.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima opted to wait for the results of an investigation into the incident before filing legal action against US Navy officials and crewmen of the USS Guardian.

In a letter to de Lima, Pamalakaya, a national federation of fishermen, said that Rear Admiral Jeffrey Harley and Lt Commander Mark Rice of the US Asia Pacific military command and the USS Guardian’s 79 crew members should be held liable for the reef’s destruction.

“Nothing has been done to pursue their arrest and demand accountability from them,” Pamalakaya said.

Earlier, President Benigno Aquino III said a multi-agency team had been studying the possibility that the Philippine government could use international laws and conventions, and seek higher compensation for damaged coral reefs.