Napocor spends P19M to clean up Semirara oil spill

Semirara Island – The state-owned National Power Corp. (Napocor) has spent some P19 million for the clean up of the oil spill in this island last December, a ranking company official said.

In a visit to assess the progress of the clean-up operation in the area, Napocor president Cyril del Callar said the power firm will talk with the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), the main insurer of Napocor to collect the cost of oil spill damage.

Del Callar, during a press conference here, said GSIS will, in turn, discuss the Napocor insurance claims with its reinsurers (British Marine Insurance and GTS) which will then negotiate with the adjusters.

"The cost of the clean-up is demandable to our insurance. We already secured commitment from the GSIS. We will just wait for the report of the Singaporean adjuster," he said.

While awaiting the disbursement of fund, he said Napocor is currently shouldering all the cost for the clean up operations.

According to Del Callar, they expect to complete the initial phase of the clean-up not later than April this year. But the whole clean up process, including the reforestation, will take about 30 years.

The Napocor chief said so far, more than 80 percent of the shoreline, and 30 percent of the mangrove areas of Semirara Island affected by the accidental oil spill in mid-December 2005, have already been cleaned.

"We could not have accomplished this without the support and help of the residents of Barangay Semirara, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), employees from National Power, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). It was truly an example of what cooperation means," he said.

The Napocor’s assessment on the status of the clean-up operation was confirmed by PSG Capt. Arturo Olavario, commander district western Visayas and head of the clean-up task force.

On Dec. 18, 2006, Power Barge 106 while being towed by Tugboat No. 1 en-route to San Jose, Occidental Mindoro from Masbate City, ran aground within the vicinity of Semirara Island due to bad weather conditions. Consequently, its fuel tanks were damaged causing the accidental spillage of approximately 210,000 liters of Bunker C Fuel Oil, which was carried by the prevailing current towards the island. The tugboat was manned and operated by a contracted private operator.

Affected were some 600 meters of the island‚s rocky and sandy shoreline, and more than 100 hectares of mangrove areas: with about 70 hectares heavily affected and some 30 hectares slightly affected. About 37 hectares of these mangroves, or about 33 percent, have already been cleaned.

Under the supervision of the PCG, National Power recruited more than 250 residents of Barangay Semirara to help in the clean-up.