MANILA (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Philippine authorities are rushing to contain a worsening oil spill from a sunken tanker that was carrying up to 800,000 litres of industrial oil, with 21 protected marine areas at risk if the leak is not contained.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Thursday (March 2) confirmed that some of the industrial oil cargo of the MT Princess Empress has started leaking from the ship.
This is on top of the diesel that first spilled from the tanker when engine trouble amid rough seas submerged the vessel off the coast of Oriental Mindoro island province on Tuesday.
The PCG described the oil slick in the water samples they took as “black and thick, with a strong odour”.
At least four coastal towns in Oriental Mindoro, parts of which are known for white sand beaches, have reported the presence of oil on their shores.
The PCG has yet to give an update on the size of the oil spill on Thursday, but it was already 6km long and 4km wide as at early Wednesday morning.
If the spill is not contained, 21 locally protected marine areas could be harmed, said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Potential risk areas include seagrass beds, mangroves and dispersion pathways for spawned fish larvae.
Environmental groups and locals also fear that the diesel and industrial oil spill would reach the Verde Island Passage, a strait that separates the country’s major island of Luzon from Oriental Mindoro, and connects the South China Sea with Tayabas Bay and Sibuyan Sea.
The 1.14 million ha passage is rich in marine biodiversity and provides food and livelihood to over two million people, according to conservationists.
“We are calling on the government to expedite cleanup operations to minimise the damage and allow the people who depend on the riches of the sea to resume their normal activities,” said Father Edwin Gariguez, convenor of the Protect Verde Island Passage campaign network, on Wednesday.
Cleanup operations started on Thursday morning. The DENR formed a task force with the PCG and the Philippine Air Force to tackle the problem.
The MT Princess Empress departed on Tuesday from Bataan province in the county’s south-west coast, and was headed to Iloilo, an island province in central Philippines.
But when its engine broke down due to overheating, the ship drifted near the waters around Oriental Mindoro, where rough seas eventually submerged the ship. All of its 20 crew members were rescued by a foreign-flagged vessel.
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