Coast Guard warns of disaster in Batangas waters

MANILA, Philippines - A Coast Guard official yesterday warned of an impending environmental disaster in the coastal waters off Batangas where a barge reportedly listed and spilled a sizeable amount of its cargo of coal into the sea.

Acting Maritime Environment Protection Command (Mepcom) Commodore Luis Tuason Jr. reported that the Dumb Barge Trans 306, carrying 8,102 metric tons of coal, had run aground off the coast of Nasugbu during typhoon “Basyang” on July 14 and tilted on its port side, spilling 40 percent of its cargo.

“The coal fell into the seabed. It has a carbon compound, it has sulfur and it has hydrogen and it would change the configuration of the water level... This would not be good for the fishes, insect and marine life,” Tuason said.

At the same time, Tuason urged the owners of the barge to hire a floating crane to immediately remove the coal from the seabed.

In the meantime, Coast Guard chemists have taken samples of the water to determine if it is safe for swimming and fishing.

Tuason also called on the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to conduct its own water-sampling test.

Tuason also advised residents along the coastal barangays of Nasugbu to be wary of water contamination.