Oil leak slowing to a trickle--PCG
The Philippine Coast Guard said yesterday that the leak from the sunken tanker Solar 1 off Guimaras island has slowed to a trickle.
"Oil is still leaking from the tanker, but the rate has slowed down. We estimate that less than 20 liters of oil are seeping into the sea every hour," PCG on-scene commander Harold Jarder told a press briefing yesterday organized by the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council. It was estimated earlier by the PCG that about 100-200 liters of oil was leaking from the ship's air vent.
Despite this, PCG vessels are still in the area spraying oil dispersants. There are now seven vessels, nine tugboats and three aircrafts involved in the containment of the oil spill, which has already affected 30,531 individuals according to the RDCC.
He also showed to the members of the RDCC footages of Solar 1 taken Thursday morning by remote-operated vehicle Hakuyo 2000. Petron Corporation contracted Fukada Marine and Salvage Works Co. Ltd., which owns the survey ship Shin Sei Maru and the Hakuyo 2000 to survey the tanker.
Solar 1 is on upright position, with its anchor on the portside still up. Its name Solar 1, painted with white, is very visible, as well as its white and dark sides.
Jarder said that the ship appears to be in good condition, and did not break up when it hit the sandy sea floor. It is under 627.69 meters of water. Pressure per square inch (PSI) based on the Hakuyo's instruments, is at least 2400.
"We're happy to note that the rate of the oil spill is weakening," Jarder expressed. It is only when the ship is rocked by the current that bunker oil leaks out, he added.
Jarder also dismissed speculations that the oil slick has reached Jordan in Guimaras and Oton and Iloilo City over sightings of oil-coated debris.
"These are just rubbish in the sea that were hit by the oil slick," Jarder explained, as he stressed that there are no new areas affected by the disaster, which started when Solar 1 sunk August 11. Those seen in the coasts of Oton town in Iloilo were but remnants of oil slick sprayed with chemical dispersants.
Meanwhile in Guimaras, the RDCC said that forced evacuation is still ongoing in Barangays Cabalagnan, Panoblon, Guiwanon and Lapaz in Nueva Valencia town as of yesterday.
The forced evacuation came after the University of the Philippines-National Poison Management and Control Center found high levels of toxic fumes in the ambient are in these areas. Levels of hydrogen sulfide and aromatic hydrocarbons exceed acceptable standards by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
The Department of Health has monitored a total of 682 oil-spill related diseases in Nueva Valencia, San Lorenzo and Sibunag towns in Guimaras; and Ajuy and Concepcion towns in Iloilo.