P350,000 spent to decontaminate Chinese ship

MANILA, Philippines - The Tubbataha Management Office (TMO) reportedly spent P350,000 to decontaminate the cargo hold of the Chinese fishing vessel F/B Min Long Yu to dispose of the rotting cargo of illegally harvested anteaters.

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Palawan District commander Commodore Enrico Efren Evangelista said the TMO hired the services of MJJ and Albayda Health and Sanitary Services to pull out the carcasses of the anteaters (pangolins) and bury them in Irawan, Palawan.

Evangelista said they are still waiting for the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD)’s laboratory to release the results on the water sample taken from the cargo hold to determine the toxic level in the ship.

He said the results would determine the kind of disinfectant they would use to kill or contain the bacteria that might have already multiplied inside the ship since it ran aground at the Tubbataha Reef last April 8.

Since the Chinese ship’s generator was shut down 18 days ago, the anteaters inside the cargo hold have decomposed and emit a foul odor which could prove to be hazardous to the health of those who would be entering the ship.

“Once the results are released, they would apply the disinfectant and wait for 24 hours curing time before they could start unloading the boxes,” he said.

Each box would be numbered and placed inside an individual bag. The dead pangolins would be placed on the deck of the fishing boat. The cargo would then be loaded on a truck and transported to Irawan, some 30 minutes away from Puerto Princesa City.

The contractor would also take charge of removing the water from the cargo hold and disposing of the liquid after it has been subjected to a treatment facility.