ALABEL, Sarangani – The owner of a foreign cargo vessel faces charges for destruction of marine life after it skidded into a coral reef sanctuary in Kiamba town.

Gov. Rene Miguel Dominguez vowed to make the operator of the M/V Double Prosperity liable for the damage incurred during the accident Sunday.

“It is the first foreign vessel that crashed into Sarangani Bay’s protected coral reef area and will be grounded due to the damage,” Dominguez said.

The provincial government, along with the Environmental Conservation and Protection Center, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources agreed to make the owner of the vessel pay.

The M/V Double Prosperity, a Panama-registered vessel, is manned by   22 Filipino crew  including its captain.

The crew  admitted that the incident was caused by error on their part.

The ship, loaded with coal, was en route to India from Australia when it hit the Bakud Reef, a marine protected area.

Authorities also found out that one of the fuel tanks of the ship was leaking.

They have yet to assess the damage brought by the fuel leak and on the broken corals.