Greenpeace to pay fine for damaging coral reef

Environmental group blames charts after ship hits Philippines site

Updated: 10:39 a.m. ET Nov. 2, 2005
MANILA, Philippines - Greenpeace said Tuesday it will pay nearly $7,000 in damages after the environmental group's flagship, the Rainbow Warrior II, hit a coral reef at a world heritage site in the southern Philippines.

The accident Monday was "very regrettable," Greenpeace said in a joint statement with the Tubbataha National Marine Park, but it laid some of the blame on maritime charts showing its ship was 1.5 miles from the reef.

Officials from the marine park assessed the area of damaged reef at 113 square yards and valued it at 384,000 pesos.

more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9896100/

and not denying they did it! Kudos to them for owning their mistake.

This means I'll have to increase the size of my next donation to that very worthy organization. I think we can all be sure the US navy would not have acted in such a forthcoming and responsible manner in similar circumstances.Hell the busheviks might have threatened to nuke the Philippines if they'd pursued compensation.

while their people starve

A good way to protect the endangered environment is to NOT go there in a motorized craft and risk doing greater harm. Either by faulty mechanisms (leaks can happen, you know) or faulty helmsmen.

Oops. Too late.

Still, at least they are fessing up and paying for their mistake. When's the last time a corporation fessed up for a mistake with the execs paying for it without shifting the cost back to the consumers, who are innocent? N-E-V-E-R.

"The visit to the reefs in the Sulu Sea was part of a four-month tour by the Rainbow Warrior II to Australia, China, the Philippines and Thailand to raise awareness about global warming and promote renewable energy."

I think they do far more good than bad, myself.

Yet the companies invovled never have to pay for damages.