Petron, IOPC deny contract with sunken barge
So who gave the go-signal for Harbor Star executives to ship over 600 metric tons of oil-spill debris stacked inside 59,649 sacks (not 39,000 as earlier reported) on board the now ill-fated Barge Ras?
Not us, said Petron officials. And not us either, the International Oil Spill Compensation Fund (IOPC) quickly followed suit.
Who then?
If the official statement of Harbor Star is to be believed, the sunken shipment was "collectively contracted" by the P & I International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Ltd (IOTPF) and the yes, the IOPC.
The matter now yet another "side-issue" thrown at Petron and the IOPC amidst yesterday's (Thursday) press conference that got key personalities of both companies to deny and clarify news reports tagging both as Barge Ras contractors.
Joe Nichols, IOPC Deputy Director joined Petron's Malou Erni in categorically stating no go-signal came from their respective camps for Barge Ras to do the job. Both said they had no idea as to who stands to be the contracting party with Erni vowing to have the matter looked into.
Joemarie Vargas, Executive Director of the national government's Task Force Solar Oil Spill (SOS) moved to shrug off the "contractor issue" saying it is "not important" to argue over who should be blamed. What is important now, he added, is to focus on what should be done. An assertion rebuffed by reporters present as questions and comments persisted on how Harbor Star could actually assume the shipment minus Petron and/or IOPC knowledge.
In what was set to be the last trip of oil-spill debris clearing, the Barge Ras tragedy opened anew questions on the handling of Petron and IOPC of the incident.
Environmentalists from Greenpeace slammed Petron and called for the government's action against the country's biggest oil refinery saying such should be done "at the fullest force of the law."
Harbor Star supposedly is among the shipping companies involved in the clean-up and post-clean up operations in Guimaras.
"Despite the appropriate measures undertaken by the crew of towing tug MT Vega to prevent the loss, the said barge sunk due to heavy seas and strong winds. Fortunately, no loss of life was incurred. This was the third and last scheduled voyage of MT Vega in hauling oily debris to Holcim," excerpts of the Harbor Star statement continued. "Harbor Star already deployed its oil spill response tug MT Wise to the site to minimize and prevent further oil pollution in the area, if any."
A Holcim facility in Lugait, Misamis Oriental served as the treatment and disposal plant of the oil-spill debris hauled from Guimaras.
Meanwhile, President Arroyo on Wednesday ordered multi-agency Task Force Guimaras to probe the sinking of barge Ras off Misamis Occidental.
"The President expressed concern about this unfortunate incident and tasked agencies concerned led by Task Force Guimaras to get to the bottom of it," said Presidential Spokesman and Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye in a statement.
President Arroyo created the task force this year to address concerns like environmental clean up and rehabilitation, as well as livelihood assistance to oil spill victims.
Environment, transportation, energy, social welfare and health departments as well as Philippine Coast Guard compose Task Force Guimaras.