Oil sheen seen near sunken ship

MANILA, Philippines - A two-kilometer oil sheen was seen in the vicinity where a cargo ship sank at the Port of Iloilo last Sunday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said yesterday.

PCG spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said their personnel in Iloilo conducted an oil spill monitoring at the site where M/V Sportivo sank after colliding with M/V Jehan 5.

“It was observed that there was a narrow strip of oil sheen measuring about five meters wide and two kilometers long,” Balilo said.

He said they have sent out oil spill response teams aboard two motorboats to disperse the oil sheen.

The PCG was also planning to send divers to check the condition of the sunken ship’s fuel tanks, but had to postpone this due to the rough seas, Balilo said. 

The 633-gross-ton M/V Sportivo was carrying 28,000 bags of fertilizer when it sank.