Oil spill from Iloilo power barge probed

MANILA, Philippines — A third party has been tapped to investigate an oil spill from one of the power barges of AC Energy Inc. in Iloilo City.

In a statement released over the weekend, the power firm said it is investigating the spill that resulted from an explosion in its Power Barge 102 (PB102) on Saturday afternoon.

The explosion reportedly ignited the fuel inside the barge’s tank.

The Ayala-owned firm said containment procedures and skimming operations have been ongoing since the spill was reported.

“The containment stage was completed last night through the use of multilayered spill booms from PB 102 and additional layers from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Petron,” AC Energy said.

It said that yesterday morning, more oil skimmer equipment from Shell Philippines arrived and another set from the company’s Power Barge 103 will arrive tomorrow.

The spill displaced 105 families composed of 375 individuals from Barangay Obrero in Lapuz district and Mansaya in La Paz  due to fumes emanating from the area. Company officials met with the regional risk reduction and management council to discuss the ongoing response operations and activate an oil-spill team that would handle the management of the incident.

AC Energy established a team to coordinate with barangay leaders for the needs of affected residents.

Meanwhile, the oil spill has reached the shores of Dumangas in Iloilo and Jordan in Guimaras.

At least 189 liters of bunker fuel have been retrieved as of yesterday afternoon, according to Lt. Cmdr. Joe Luviz Mercurio, chief of the Philippine Coast Guard-Iloilo Station.

Of the 268,000 liters of fuel contained in the barge’s tank , 251,000 liters have leaked out.

The PCG has yet to assess the amount of damage caused by the incident, although it said it saw some damage to mangroves. Jennifer Rendon