PCG spots ‘oil sheen’ from sunken tanker

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) yesterday denied reports that an oil spill from the sunken motor tanker Terra Nova had reached the shores of Manila.

Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, PCG commandant, in yesterday’s regular Zoom press conference, denied earlier speculations that the oil spill would reach the shores of Metro Manila on Tuesday.

Gavan conducted an aerial inspection yesterday morning along with an International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Ltd. (ITOPF) representative and checked the situation in the waters of the National Capital Region, Bulacan, Bataan, Corregidor and Ternate in Cavite.

Their findings, confirmed by the ITOPF representative, showed there were “clear waters along the (Manila Bay’s) coastline.”

There was only a thin oil sheen around the tanker that would dissipate with the natural weathering effect, the ITOPF representative said.

Gavan assured the public that everything is under control but the PCG remains wary of the situation as the intermediate fuel oil (IFO) is still submerged underwater and the siphoning will only commence once the remaining valves are completely sealed.

The divers of the salvor Harbor Star have been working 24/7 and out of the 24 valves of the tanker, they have sealed 14 valves and four pipes.

Gavan assured everyone that the siphoning was “on schedule” despite delays, further explaining that the task is more sensitive as it would require an opening to install the equipment that would remove the oil from the ship.

When asked to comment on reports that fishermen and residents in Tanza, Cavite allegedly spotted oil, Gavan reiterated there were “pockets of oil sheen” that were “very thin in some areas.”

It was possible that the sighted oil may have come from the early days after the tanker sank but they had already sprayed oil dispersants.

Last Sunday, members of Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) in Tanza noticed a foul odor associated with the oil spill. There have also been fish catches that are tainted with oil slick.

Bulacan Gov. Daniel Fernando has also cited that there are indications of oil spills coming from the sunken ship reaching the coasts of Bulakan and Hagonoy.

They maintain the plan to siphon 300,000 liters of oil, enough to float the ship and tow it to shore where they could safely continue with the siphoning process and remove around 50,000 to 60,000 liters a day. The siphoning could take a week to 10 days. — Ric Sapnu, Emmanuel Tupas, Ramon Efren Lazaro, Romina Cabrera, Rhodina Villanueva