Coast Guard collects over 9,000 liters of oily water in response operations
MANILA, Philippines — More than 9,000 liters of oily water mixture have been collected so far nearly a month after tanker MT Princess Empress sank and leaked oil into the sea.
In an update, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Monday said it has collected 9,463 liters of oily water mixture and 115 sacks of oil-contaminated materials during its offshore oil spill response operations.
From March 1 to 26, authorities also gathered 3,514 sacks and 22 drums of oil-contaminated materials in affected barangays of Naujan, Bulalacao and Pola towns in Oriental Mindoro.
Last week, the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI) said that authorities should take calmer seas and weaker winds as an opportunity to ramp up the collection of oil spilled by MT Princess Empress.
The vessel was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial oil when it sank off Oriental Mindoro on February 28.
The oil spill has reached the shores of Antique in Visayas, and parts of Palawan and Batangas in Luzon. It is threatening the Verde Island Passage, one of the world’s most biodiverse regions.
The disaster is affecting coastal residents, including fishers and tourism workers whose livelihoods were put on hold. — Gaea Katreena Cabico
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