Preparations underway to offload oil from Solar 1
Italian firm Sonsub is fabricating equipment that would be used in offloading the remaining bunker fuel in the sunken tanker Solar 1.
Sonsub has been contracted to offload the oil from Solar 1, which sank off the coast of Guimaras last August 11, triggering the country's worst oil spill.
Over a million liters of oil is estimated to be still remaining in the ten cargo holds of Solar 1, which Petron Corporation chartered to transport 2 million liters of oil to Zamboanga when it sank under heavy seas.
"They are still fabricating equipment they would be using to offload the oil, and are waiting for the Amihan (cool northeast wind) season to end," Petron spokesperson Carlos Tan told The News Today yesterday. During the amihan season, seas are usually rough. According to marine experts, offloading oil is very delicate operation. Hence it requires fair sea conditions.
Offloading operations are expected to begin middle of February next year. It will last for about 20 days.
So far, there has been no change in the timetable, Tan said.
Sonsub is also talking to local tugboat operators for their services. As far as I know, Sonsub will be bringing only one of their ships from Singapore for the offloading. Then they will tap the services of local tugboat operators.
The Protection and Indemnity Club is footing the bill for the operation, Tan said. But if the actual expenses exceed $6 million, the International Oil Pollution Compensation will shoulder the excess, he explained.
Meanwhile, the Parish Pastoral Council of the St. Vincent Ferrer Parish in Nueva Valencia town, one of those hardest hit by the oil spill, is calling for a boycott of Petron products. In a manifesto, they also demanded for the immediate retrieval of the remaining oil from Solar 1.
"We, the people of Nueva Valencia, Guimaras, forge our solidarity to urgently demand the total clean up, rehabilitation and recovery of our island. Almost five months after the August 11, 2006 Petron / MT Solar 1 Oil Spill - bunker oil still pollutes our shores and mangrove areas, devastates our sources of livelihood, and exposes us to the long-term effects of carcinogenic and other highly toxic compounds. We cannot remain voiceless and uninvolved," the manifesto states, the last line of which provides," We strongly declare a boycott to all Petron products and call on our fellow citizens to join us in this worthy cause, until justice is served."