The Philippines denied that a tugboat was prepared to tow the Sierra Madre.

Philippines denies that a tugboat is ready to tow the Sierra Madre!

The Philippine military denied on Tuesday that a tugboat was preparing to tow the illegally grounded Sierra Madre at the Scarborough Shoal.

Roy Vincent Trinidad, a spokesperson for the Philippine Navy, said that the Philippine Navy detected the presence of a tugboat on Monday, but stated that this was neither a cause for panic nor a reason to believe that the rusting but still on the disputed reef Sierra Madre could be towed away like that, because towing the Sierra Madre would require more than one tugboat.

"Our assessment is that it will be used by them, if they need to tow any vessel that may have run aground in the shallow waters of the Scarborough Shoal."

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841525965841472/

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