Proposal to siphon oil favorably endorsed to IOPC
Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas, Secretary Rafael Coscolluela said NDCC Chair, Secretary Avelino Cruz reported during the NDCC meeting that Mans Jacobsson, Executive Director of the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund has favorably endorsed the proposal to the Executive Committee of the IOPC to siphon out the bunker fuel from the MT Solar 1.
Secretary Coscolluela said the final decision will be made by the Executive Committee of the IOPC during their meeting this coming October 23 in London. Among the things that will be deliberated upon are the legal, technical and financial aspects of the contract for the siphoning of the bunker fuel. They will also decide who will do the siphoning, as right now there are four companies being considered, all with accreditation by IOPC.
The endorsement of the Executive Committee of the London-based IOPC is important because it is the IOPC that provides compensation for pollution damages caused by the oil spills.
After the IOPC decision, the Presidential Assistant said it is expected that it will take sometime to mobilize a vessel to undertake the siphoning and this would be accomplished by the end of November or early December.
PA Coscolluela said while they want to do it immediately but there are still certain requirements that need to be met and processes that have to be undergone before the siphoning could proceed. He said they would rather err on the side of a little delay to ensure that everything goes well, especially as this will be a very sensitive operation.
(PIA6)