Coast Guard contains Batangas oil spill

MANILA, Philippines – Some 100 liters of bunker fuel oil spilled from the Chevron Philippines Batangas terminal into Batangas Bay last Tuesday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported.

The oil spill was contained at around 6 p.m. of the same day.

According to PCG Southern Tagalog district chief Commodore Rolando Legaspi, at 5 p.m. on Feb. 2, Chevron reported to their Batangas station that bunker fuel was accidentally discharged during unloading operations from the Chevron depot to the motor tanker M/T Sunrise Sampaguita.

The 3,490-ton Sunrise Sampaguita, a Philippine-flagged vessel that was built in 2001, was moored at the time at the Chevron jetty in San Pascual, Batangas.

Chevron laid out a 200-meter oil spill boom and absorbent pads to contain the spill while the PCG Marine Environment and Protection Unit in Batangas also put in place its absorbent pads and oil spill booms measuring some 60 to 80 meters around the affected area.

Legaspi said that based on initial information that they received, the source of the oil spill was from the reported leakage at the distribution pipeline installed from the pier to the depot.

During the clean up, about 60 liters of spilled bunker fuel and five drums of oil and water mixture were recovered.

PCG spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said that a total clean up must be made since bunker fuel is a sticky substance.

It is considered hazardous to the environment and its chemical compound might be damaging to the water and marine resources, Balilo said.

PCG Batangas station commander Capt. Gregorio Adel Jr. said that even if Chevron assisted in removing the oil from Batangas Bay, the firm could still be held liable for the incident.

“We would issue an Inspection Apprehension Report to determine if there was negligence in the handling of the fuel transfer. A fine of about P10,000 might be imposed,” Adel said.

Chief Insp. Manuel Maligaya, San Pascual police chief, said the oil spill had been contained with the cooperation of the PCG, the Department of Energy, Chevron and the San Pascual Disaster Risk Reduction Management unit. 

He said local authorities have conducted an ocular inspection of the affected area and they received no report of fish kill. With Arnell Ozaeta