Oil spill reaches Taytay town in Palawan
MANILA, Philippines — The oil leaked from MT Princess Empress that sank off Oriental Mindoro has reached the shore of Taytay town in Palawan, the Philippine Coast Guard reported on Friday.
Barangay Casian in Taytay is 295 kilometers away from Naujan in Oriental Mindoro, where the tanker carrying 800,000 liters of industrial oil sank in rough seas on February 28.
PCG said it has started assessing the situation in the area and cleaning up oiled debris.
Slick from the oil spill also reached the province of Antique.
The University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute earlier estimated that oil from the sunken tanker may affect 20,000 hectares of coral reefs, 9,900 hectares of mangroves and 6,000 hectares of seagrass beds in Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan and Antique.
Authorities are scrambling to recover the vessel and contain the oil spill, which is disrupting the way of life of local communities and threatening the marine biodiversity in the area.
The PCG on Wednesday placed an oil spill boom around the possible location of MT Princess Empress.
The vessel is thought to be lying at about 1,200 feet or 400 meters below sea level. Authorities will deploy a remotely-operated vehicle to pinpoint its exact location.
Japanese team of experts to help
Japanese Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhiko on Friday confirmed that they will dispatch a Japan Disaster Relief (JDR) Expert Team to the Philippines, "in view of the amicable relations between Japan and the Philippines, on humanitarian grounds and for marine environment protection."
The team of experts is due to arrive on Friday and will help Philippine authorities, especially the Philippine Coast Guard, to look into the extent of damage of the oil spill and provide guidance on ongoing oil removal and control activities.
The JDR Expert Team consists of 8 members:
- two members from the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines
- five members from the Japan Coast Guard, three of whom belong to the National Strike Team, an expert unit in oil removal
- one member from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Equipment such as oil blotters, oil snares, and oil-proof working gloves will also be sent to the Philippines, the Japanese embassy said.
It also said that the Japanese government is ready to considering sending additional supplies after their team confirms the need for them. — with reports from Kristine Joy Patag
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