Sunken oil tanker could no longer be retrieved
Shoreline of Sitio Lusaran, Barangay Lapaz, Nueva
Valencia town.
Retrieving the sunken vessel M/T Solar I is already next to impossible.
This Clemente Cancio president of Sushine Maritime Development Corporation (SMDC), owner of M/T Solar I, said of the oil tanker now lying under 600 meters deep of sea water off Nueva Valencia, Guimaras.
Cancio said it is already almost impossible to salvage the 998-ton sunken vessel even with the aid of modern equipment because the water is too deep.
Retrieving the M/T Solar I from the bottom of the sea is eyed as a possible solution to stop the continued oil spill.
It is believed that bunker oil has not yet fully seeped out of the tanker's oil compartments.
However, Cancio said that two British experts from the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation will arrive Friday, August 18, to asses the condition of the sunken vessel.
Cancio said they have to find out what is happening under water before they can mount plans to plug the leaking tanker. They are also contemplating of using robotics.
M/T Solar I vessel sank some 21.50 kilometers from the shore of Nueva Valencia town after being hit by big waves caused by moonsoon winds last Friday, August 11.
The vessel, carrying 2 million liters of bunker oil by Petron Corporation, came from Bataan and was en route to Zamboanga.
Cancio said the sinking of the vessel is considered a loss to the company but they are not running away from their responsibilities especially to the province of Guimaras.
He stressed out that they will not turn their back. "We already have people on the ground to coordinate with the provincial officials," Cancio said.
He added that SMDC will do whatever that they can to help the residents affected by the oil spill.
Guimaras Governor JC Rahman Nava said about 5,000 people dependent on fishing as livelihood had been affected by the disaster so far.
The company, through their insurance firm, will also shoulder all the expenses for clean up and rehabilitation of the affected areas, he said.
Cancio also clarified that M/T Solar I was in "seaworthy condition" when it left its port of call.
Rumagangrang Beach covered with oil sludge.
He said we always comply with the rules and regulations set by the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).
Cancio, on the other hand, denied the allegations of one of the 18 survivors that the company neglected their obligations to the crew. He said necessary assistance were already given to the vessel's surviving crew members.
Meanwhile, two of the vessel's crew are still missing as of press time.
Reyes visit
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes visited Guimaras province on Wednesday to personally check on the extent of damage the oil spill has brought to marine life.
Reyes told Governor Nava that the national government is working out to get help from international agencies to contain the massive oil slick.
He is confident that the island-province of Guimaras will receive foreign assistance, the country, being a signatory to the Maritime International Treaty for Pollution.
Reyes disclosed that the government had initially asked for equipment and assistance of experts from Japan and Indonesia.
Affected areas
The oil sludge reportedly affected a wide area of coral reef reserves at Taklong Island, a marine reserve sanctuary.
Hardest hit are the coastal barangays of Lapaz, San Roque, Lucmayan, Tando, Dolores, Cabalagnan, Panobolon, Canhawan, Igdarapdap, San Antonio and Guiwanon.
The oil spill also reached the neighboring barangays of Alegria, Sitio Naoway, Siraray Island, San Isidro, and Ususan Island.
Two famous island resorts, the Nagarao and Inampulogan Islands were already reached by the oil spill. Barangays Sabang, Bubog, Sebaste, Sebario, Nadulao and Natunga Islands are also affected.
There were also reports that the oil sludge has reached as far as the coastal areas of Pulupandan and Valladolid in Negros Occidental.
Clean-up
Mangrove plantations in Nueva Valencia town.
Two vessels from the Philippine Coast Guard are already in Guimaras strait spraying dispersants to contain the oil spill. One is taking care of the east side of the province and the other the southern side which is badly affected of the oil spill. Also two tug boats from Petron and five more boats from the Sunshine Maritime Development Corporation are helping in the clean up drive.
Community cooperation is also being sought with Nava calling on residents of coastal areas to put up improvised stoppers like bamboos to block the shore not yet reached by the oil sludge.
Legal action
Meanwhile, the provincial government of Guimaras has yet to decide on whether SMDC and Petron Corporation will be sued for the oil spill that has already affected the island's entire southern flank.
"We have not talked about it yet," said Governor JC Rahman Nava during a press conference Wednesday, together with Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes. "But that is an option."
Nava said the legal team of Taskforce Sunrise, the group formed specifically to address the oil spill, is looking at the possibility of suing the two companies. "They are preparing all the evidence needed," the governor said.
The team is still waiting for a copy of the contract between Petron and SMDC. Petron chartered SMDC to deliver P40 million worth of industrial oil for a power plant in Mindanao.
The legal team is asking for more time, until next week to come up with a recommendation, Nava said.