ORIENTAL MINDORO, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Monday said it may have detected the possible location of the sunken MT Princess Empress that leaked industrial oil into the sea.
In an update, the DENR said the sunken oil tanker is located northeast of Pola town in Oriental Mindoro, “but is believed to have moved southeast from its last known position where it completely submerged.”
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The site is around 1,200 feet or 400 meters below sea.
The agency noted the possible location of the tanker needs to be verified through the deployment of a remotely-operated vehicle.
“We are now preparing to access an ROV in order to fully determine where the vessel actually is and to completely model the way the oil will be spilling from the vessel,” it said.
MT Princess Empress was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel when it sank in rough seas off Naujan on February 28.
The University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute estimated that the slick produced by the oil spill may affect 20,000 hectares of coral reefs, 9,900 hectares of mangroves and 6,000 hectares of seagrass beds in Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan and Antique.
The marine scientists also said that coastal communities — especially those on the eastern and southern sides of Oriental Mindoro, including Caluya Island in Antique, and potentially Cuyo Island in Palawan — should prepare for the possibility that the oil spill could reach their shores.
Fishers from Brgy. Melgar A in Naujan said the slick has not yet reached their shore. But their fishing activities have been put on hold, leaving them short on cash and food.
They are hoping the government will immediately address the problem, and provide them with financial assistance and alternative livelihood.
Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito Dolor ordered the province’s 18,000 fishers to stay ashore until it is safe to fish.
Call for accountability, probe
MT Princess Empress sank near the Verde Island Passage (VIP), which is globally recognized for its rich marine biodiversity.
Over two million individuals, such as fishers and tourism workers, rely on VIP for food and income.
Protect VIP — a coalition of environmental advocates and local stakeholders — called for accountability from RDC Reield Marines Services, the owner of the sunken tanker.
The coalition also said that a public investigation should be conducted to determine the cause of the incident and the actors behind it.
“We are concerned that amid all this chaos, there remains no confirmation as to who the owner of the industrial oil is,” said Fr. Edwin Gariguez, convenor of Protect VIP.
“In transporting a highly polluting substance across the Verde Island Passage and its surrounding waters, these companies deliberately cruise through and place at risk fragile marine ecosystems and the livelihood of all who depend on them,” he added.
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Editor's note: The trip to Oriental Mindoro was hosted by Protect VIP Network (represented by Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development). At no stage does the host organization have a say in the stories generated from the coverage, interviews conducted, publication date and story treatment. Content is produced solely by Philstar.com following editorial guidelines.