Coast Guard on alert for possible oil spill
Coast Guard officials in Western Visayas are on the lookout for a possible oil spill in Antique after a cargo vessel sunk, killing a crew member. Nineteen other crew members survived the sinking Tuesday afternoon.
In a related development, a Coast Guard (CG) rescue vessel sent to aid the distressed cargo vessel MV Ma. Lourdes temporarily lost communication with their base in Romblon after it lost power due to big waves buffeting it.
A CG chopper located and established contact with BRP 3504 (Davao del Norte) yesterday morning, said Commander Harold Jarder of the CG Iloilo station. The ship's captain, Lt. Commander Weniel Azcuna and twelve crew are all accounted for, Jarder said.
"They are okay. They have already been sighted," he stressed. The BRP 3504 will be towed to port.
Meanwhile, the CG Western Visayas district is "on monitoring for the present situation / state of said distressed vessel. Likewise, monitor for possible oil spill that may occur."
Two years ago, the CG Western Visayas had to deal with the country's worst oil spill in Guimaras.
Jarder said that diesel fuel in the vessel's tank may leak out into the water.
MV Ma. Lourdes encountered big waves and strong winds in the waters between Sibay and Caluya Islands, north of Antique province, and was already listing on one side before it sank.
Alex Tambasin, the vessel's chief engineer, was the lone casualty. The survivors are ship captain Henry Edaño, Jorge Siliacay, Victoriano Flores, Joseph Torralba, Donato Sornito Jr., Ian Keith Atabay, Eric Boco, Urbano Abad Jr., Michael Jhon Tibay, Manuel Belangel, Jerome Sumayan, Eric Briones, Charles Elasco, Philip Louise Robihid, Alden Gomez, Marton Bertes, Ariel Delos Santos, Raul Almella and Joel Aran.
MV Ma. Lourdes was loaded with 22,000 bags of cement, and was en route to San Jose, Mindoro from Iligan City when it sank three miles off Sibay Island, near Caluya Island in Antique, around 5:00 pm Tuesday. The vessel is owned and operated by Candano Shipping Lines.
The Coast Guard has already called off the search and rescue operations because all the crew has been accounted, Jarder said. The 19 survivors are already safe.
Coast Guard officials immediately organized a search and rescue operation soon after it received the ship's distress call late in the afternoon Tuesday.