Barge carrying Guimaras oil debris sinks off Misamis Occidental

Talk about double jeopardy.

A barge carrying debris from the Philippines’ worst-ever oil spill from a sunken tanker has itself sunk in rough seas off the island of Mindanao, officials said yesterday.

The barge Ras was being towed by tugboat Vega when huge waves sank the vessel off the coastal town of Plaridel, Misamis Occidental late Monday, Philippine Maritime Industry Authority enforcement chief Arnie Santiago said.

The vessel was carrying 630 tons of rock and sand in 59,000 sacks, according to oil firm Petron Corp.

Petron had contracted the barge to ship debris from clean-up operations after the tanker Solar I sank off the central island of Guimaras on Aug. 11 carrying 500,000 gallons of industrial fuel oil.

Petron owned the fuel that was spilled in August and had contracted Harbor Star, the operator of the Ras.

Tens of thousands of gallons of oil spilled into the sea, destroying a marine reserve, local fishing grounds and coating stretches of coastline with black sludge.

Two crew members are still missing and presumed dead from the incident, which a maritime inquiry blamed on overloading and inadequate training of the ship’s captain, Norberto Aguro.

"The composition of the debris carried by the barge is mostly sand and rocks with some traces of oil," Petron said in a statement.

Petron said the debris has been weathering for three months and "is highly unlikely to pose a danger to communities, shorelines or marine life."

Petron health, safety and environment manager Carlos Tan said a contingency plan was already in place.

"A tugboat is patrolling around the sink site and so far, no oily sheen or debris has been seen on the surface," Tan said, adding that Petron mobilized the Waterborne Industry Spill Equipment to deal with any contingency.

Santiago said there were no reports of casualties from the latest incident, and that effects on the environment would likely be minimal.

He said the sand and bunker oil, which were placed in sacks, "would sink to the bottom of the sea and will likely leave only traces of oil, like thin filaments that would also evaporate."

Petron vice president Joey Campos said the Ras had been carrying the last portion of the 6,000 tons of debris collected from Guimaras. The shipment had been en route to the Holcim Cement plant in Lugait, Misamis Oriental for treatment and disposal.

He said all precautions were being taken and equipment mobilized to respond to the latest incident.

Defense Secretary and National Disaster Coordinating Council chairman Avelino Cruz Jr. has convened Task Force Guimaras to take up this matter.

The 998-ton Solar I remains on the seabed with thousands of gallons of bunker oil still in its hold. Efforts to siphon it off have been delayed by bad weather.

Greenpeace campaigner Beau Baconguis said: "Whether this latest incident is due to gross negligence or plain stupidity, Petron must be held accountable by the Philippine government to the fullest extent of the law.

"This is truly deplorable, and betrays once again Petron’s serious lack of diligence in ensuring that the company’s operations are safe and secure," he said. — With Donnabele Gatdula, Edu Punay, Katherine Adraneda, AFP, AP