Coast Guard continues search as divers fail to locate toxic cargo
Divers assisted by a sonar-equipped ship have failed to locate tons of missing toxic cargo of a sunken ship off the coast of Culasi town in Antique after three days of search operations, according to the Coast Guard.
The owner of the MV Ocean Papa has offered a P100,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of container vans with the toxic cargo.
"Unfortunately, we still haven't located them. But we will continue our search," Commodore William Melad, Coast Guard commander in Western Visayas, said in a telephone interview Sunday.
Melad said they have concentrated their search from the area where the crew of the vessel sent a distress signal to its present location near Mararison Island, around 5.6 km from the coast of Culasi which is 86 km north of the capital of San Jose.
The cargo ship was en route to Iloilo City from Manila when it sank at noon of June 21 after being battered by strong winds and huge waves at the height of typhoon "Frank."
Two of the vessel's crew members, including ship captain Carlo Kho, died, while two others remain missing. Twenty four crew members were rescued.
Around 60 vans out of the total cargo of 160 have been recovered after they were swept ashore. Among its cargo 80 sealed drums containing 16 metric tons of toxic chemical toxic substance toluene di-isocyanate (TDI).
The substance, a main ingredient in the production of flexible polyurethane foam and other polyurethane applications, can cause severe irritation of the skin and eyes and affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and central nervous systems if inhaled or ingested.
Officials and residents of Culasi have earlier called for the speedy recovery and removal of the cargo amid environmental and health fears.
Melad said they mapped out a line from the location of the vessel when it last made contact with its company to the present location of the ship which is lying upside down near Mararison Island.
The sonar-equipped ship also surveyed the area 1,000 yards on each side of the estimated route of the vessel before it sank to detect foreign objects on the sea bed.
Melad said the operation will continue today after a a one-day break.
Aside from the sonar-equipped ship contracted by the ship owners, the Ocean Container Lines Inc., the Coast Guard has deployed a tugboat and a search and rescue vessel in the area. Three teams of divers and an oil spill response team have also been involved in the operations.
Joey Go, owner of the MV Ocean Papa, has offered the P100,000 reward to help fast-track the recovery of the missing cargo, according to Melad.
Residents had opened the container vans that were swept ashore especially those containing food.
But health and environmental officials have warned residents not to open the containers vans and to turn these over to the Coast Guard or local officials.