MORE than half of the industrial fuel oil cargo of MT Princess Empress that sank off Oriental Mindoro last February 28 has leaked out, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.
PCG officials reported the development yesterday, exactly a month after the ill-fated vessel, owned by RDC Reield Marine Services, figured in the mishap off Naujan town.
“More than half (of the cargo) is already gone,” said PCG spokesman Rear Adm. Armand Balilo, adding the vessel was carrying some 822,000 liters of industrial fuel oil at that time of the accident.
The PCG initially said the vessel was transporting 800,000 liters of fuel oil but later clarified the vessel was transporting 900,000 liters of oil.
“Based on our study, out of the 822,000 liters (cargo), more than 300,000 or close to 400,000 liters of oil are left inside the vessel. We are validating this,” Balilo said.
He said the figure was based on the assessment of the Crisis Management Committee, taking into account inputs of oil spill response experts and findings of the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) operation last week.
PCG deputy commandant for operations Vice Adm. Rolando Lizor Punzala said five of the eight cargo tanks of the vessel sustained “structural damage.”
“Based on the ROV survey, there are no more sightings of oil coming out of these (five cargo tanks),” Punzalan said.
“When we checked the cargo manifest, these five tanks contained more or less 400,000 liters (of oil),” added Punzalan, adding this was probably the oil that spilled during the initial week.
Punzalan said oil is also seeping out from the other tanks with no structural damage.
“If we subtract that (400,000 liters) from the reported cargo of more or less 820,000 liters, which we are using as reference at present, the remaining oil (inside) is 350,000 liters or so because of leakage in the tanks that did not suffer structural damage,” said
Punzalan said they are preparing for a bagging operation, or placing of specialized bags, at the tanks that are slowly spilling oil.
“This is to contain the seepage but it (oil that goes inside the bags) has to be collected,” said Punzalan.
Balilo said the specialized bags are expected to arrive this Thursday, adding the bags will be deployed by ROV two days later.
After the bagging operation, authorities will proceed to the next phase of operations — patching leaks, hot tapping and pumping of the remaining oil.
Balilo said they have covered a lot of ground over the past month, explaining that “from 55 kilometers, the area with patches of oil is now down to nine kilometers.”
The PCG added it has collected 10,163 liters of oily water mixture and 123 sacks of oil-contaminated materials during its offshore oil response operations from March 1 to 27.
In its shoreline cleanup, the PCG said 3,644.5 sacks and 22 drums of waste have been collected in 13 affected barangays in Naujan, Bulalacao, and Pola towns during the same period.
Yesterday, PCG commandant Adm. Artemio Abu met with South Korean Coast Guard officials at the PCG headquarters in Manila.
“They discussed the current situation of Oriental Mindoro oil spill and strategized plans of action to augment the ongoing oil spill response operations,” the PCG said.
