Sulpicio racing against time to remove toxic cargo

MANILA, Philippines – Sulpicio Lines Inc. said yesterday that it is racing against time to defuse what it called “a ticking time bomb” inside the capsized Princess of the Stars.

Jordan Go, SLI vice president for marketing, told reporters at the weekly Kapihan sa Sulo Hotel that several salvage firms had offered to retrieve the ship’s toxic cargo, including a container of endosulfan, but backed out upon assessing the extent of the problem.

“The toxic cargo is a ticking ecological bomb,” Go said.

He said only the US-based Titan Salvage has agreed to retrieve the endosulfan as well as bunker oil from the sunken ship for $7 million. “The salvage operation will take at least a month,” he said.

He said it was Titan which refloated the Super Ferry 14 that was bombed by suspected terrorists while leaving Manila Bay.

He said the Princess of the Stars is a more difficult task because of the presence of hazardous cargo.

Go said it was the urgency of the situation that prompted Sulpicio Lines to suspend the retrieval of bodies inside the ship.

The retrieval of the bodies should commence only after the removal of the toxic cargo from the sunken vessel.

The passenger ferry sank off Romblon at the height of typhoon “Frank” on June 21, leaving hundreds dead or missing. The vessel is lying precariously on a coral reef belly up, with a small part of its hull exposed above the water.

Go also disputed reports of Sulpicio Lines’ poor safety record. “We have recorded at least 50,000 maritime trips since we operated, so it’s up to the public to judge our record,” he said.

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) chief Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo appealed yesterday to local government units (LGUs) to take a more active role in monitoring fishing vessels especially during inclement weather.

He said the PCG has limited manpower and that it is not capable of round-the-clock monitoring of fishing vessels.

“The LGUs could mobilize their barangay officials to help in explaining to the fishermen the dangers of fishing in open sea during inclement weather and to convince them not to sail,” he said.

He recalled that at the height of typhoon Frank, many vessels aside from the Princess of the Stars capsized in rough waters.

The PCG said that of the 864 passengers and crew of the ferry, only 32 were confirmed to have survived. – With Evelyn Macairan