(Manila) A wrecked Filipino tanker carrying 800,000 liters of fuel oil released part of its cargo which reached the coasts of a central province of the country on Thursday, mobilized to try to stem the oil spill.
THE Princess Empress was traveling from Bataan province, near Manila, to the central province of Iloilo on Tuesday when it suffered engine damage and sank in rough seas off the town of Naujan in the province of Mindoro Oriental.
The slick reached the coast at midday on Thursday and appears to be continuing to drift further south, Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Loyzaga said in a statement.
Forces “are now focused on cleaning the coastline” and divers will assess the impact on reefs, mangroves and algae because “possible contamination could affect the survival of these ecosystems”, she added.
The vessel is still wanted, provincial governor Humerlito Dolor said.
The Philippine Coast Guard initially said it was diesel fueling the vessel, not heavy fuel oil from its cargo.
But the results of water sample analyzes showed that part of the cargo had also flowed off the coast of the municipality of Naujan, the coastguard said on Thursday, raising concerns for the rich marine life. and coral reefs in the region.
The spill had spread over 24 square kilometers of water on Wednesday, according to the Coast Guard. It remains to be determined how much diesel fuel and fuel oil spilled.
Provincial Governor Humerlito Dolor said searches were still underway to find the sunken tanker, believed to be 460 meters below sea level, to stop the leak.
“The Coast Guard has assured us that they are ready to siphon off the oil as soon as they identify (the location),” Dolor told local media.
In the meantime, the Coast Guard deployed booms to try to contain the oil slick and sprayed chemicals to break down the oil.
Fishermen and tourist operators on the coast are highly dependent on the waters and their livelihoods could be threatened.
Oil was spotted along a stretch of water about 60 kilometers between Naujan and Bongabong township, said Ram Temena, head of disaster operations in Mindoro Oriental.
“We have many fish sanctuaries along the coast,” he pointed out. “This could have a huge impact due to the possibility of oil attaching to coral reefs, affecting marine biodiversity. »
Part of the spills washed up on the shores of at least two villages in Naujan and one in the municipality of Pola.
Andrea Riva, an employee at a resort south of Pola, said she and her colleagues were “crossing their fingers” that the waves didn’t wash the spill into surrounding waters.