Retrieval of sunken tanker unlikely
The proposal to re-float the sunken MT Solar I lying 640 meters underwater is not likely to happen despite the threat from some groups that such demand is "non-negotiable."
Task Force Guimaras chief Secretary Avelino Cruz, Jr. in a meeting of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) in Alubihod, Guimaras Wednesday said siphoning the remaining bunker oil from Solar 1 is the best option at present.
He said it is the safest and effective way to stop the oil leakage. The same process was made in the southern coast of Spain years ago when a ship carrying oil also sank. The International Oil Pollution Contingency Fund and the Protection and Indemnity Club have attested the effectiveness of such strategy to contain the oil spill.
Interestingly, Japanese experts from research ship Shin Sei Maru have not yet submitted their recommendation on what to do with the sunken vessel.
Shin Sei Maru, using its remote operated vehicle (ROV), took underwater video footages of MT Solar 1 last week.
The ROV discovered a triangular hole in the ship's hull which might have caused the sinking of the tanker.
The video as well as the initial findings were submitted by Marine Expert Bill Kerr during a closed-door session of the Board of Marine Inquiry. He was hired by the Protection and Indemnity Club, the insurer of M/T Solar 1.
Based on reports, Kerr told the Special Board of Marine Inquiry that the triangular puncture on the port side indicated that Solar 1 had struck something. The hole is consistent with the end of a box like a floating container.
The expert said it was likely that water entered the ballast tanks which did not have segregation wall between port and starboard sides.
The expert's explanation to the Special Board of Marine Inquiry validates the testimony of one of the survivors interviewed earlier by the local media.
Meanwhile, Cruz said representatives from the International Oil Pollution Contingency Fund are currently giving seminars to the affected residents in Guimaras on how to file their claims.