MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Coast Guard on Monday said it is looking for ways to contain the oil spill from a tanker that sank in waters off Naujan in Oriental Mindoro end-February.
This comes after it confirmed oil from the MT Princess Empress has reached the biodiversity-rich Verde Island Passage. The coast guard said they are already doing aerial inspections to see how far the oil has spread, while it is already briefing personnel from the United States and Japan who are in the country to help out with their operations.
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"Getting the sunken ship is not part of the plan," Coast Guard Rear Adm. Armand Balilo told reporters in mixed English and Filipino on Monday. "What we’re initially planning is to patch up a hole in the ship, if there’s any, and then have the oil siphoned out."
"From what I know, that’s the reason why the owner provided an ROV (remotely operated underwater vehicle)."
'Racing against time'
The MT Princess Empress was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel when it sank. Environmental groups and advocates earlier warned that this could affect nearby biodiversity areas as well as the livelihoods of local communities.
The PCG recognized the urgency of the issue, with Balilo noting that "we are racing against time." The coast guard invited US counterparts and asked for their expertise as Washington has the needed technology and equipment to help with the oil spill.
Meanwhile, the Japanese Coast Guard also did their own inspection in Mindoro. The PCG said they expect the Japanese Embassy in Manila to release their findings soon.
"We’ll collaborate on this, figuring out what we can do together. It’s good that there’s also a Japan Coast Guard, there’s a US Coast Guard, on top of that are the efforts of the [local government unit], Coast Guard, and [Depaertment of Environment and Natural Resources], other stakeholders, coming together so we can prevent the oil spill from further spreading," Balilo said.
Aside from Washingotn and Tokyo, the PCG said they are also in talks with South Korea to help the Philippines clean up after the oil spill.