Coast Guard expects all 400 endosulfan packs recovered today

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is confident that all of the 400 packs of the toxic endosulfan chemical would be recovered today from the capsized M/V Princess of the Stars.

PCG commandant Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said as of 5 p.m. yesterday, Sulpicio Lines Inc. (SLI), owner of the 23,000-gross-ton sunken ferry, reported that divers from Titan Maritime Inc. and its local counterpart, Harbor Star, have already retrieved 346 packs of the toxic cargo.

“At the rate they are going, I am confident that they would be able to surpass their target,” Tamayo said.

“It is only after they have removed all the hazardous materials that the bodies of the passengers and crew of the ill-fated ship would be retrieved,” the Coast Guard said.

Task Force Princess of the Stars earlier announced that it would take 12 to 16 days to complete the removal of the pesticide cargo, but divers were able to extract 346 packs in just five days.

Once they have retrieved the endosulfan, the next phase is to remove the chemicals of Bayer Crop Science from the sunken ship, and then recover 250,000 liters of crude oil, Tamayo said.

SLI reported that salvaging firms are expected to finish the task in 30 days or by Oct. 19.

Rod Bella of Harbor Star said that they could not simultaneously work on removing the endosulfan and the crude oil because it could affect the stability of the ship.

Tamayo also reported that Titan diver John Hancock is now safe after complaining of dizziness, tingling sensation in the arm, and shortness of breath last Thursday afternoon.

Ed Ravago, oil spill response coordinator, denied speculations that Hancock was a victim of cyanide poisoning.

“We categorically deny cyanide poisoning because we don’t handle cyanide on board. For the record, there has never been any incident of any chemical spillage in our retrieval operations,” Ravago said.

Tiffany Cartier, dive medical technician of Titan Maritime Inc. and the first medic to attend to the diver, said “Hancock has personal health issues, which has nothing to do with chemicals or the dive job.”

The M/V Princess of the Stars sank at the height of typhoon “Frank” last June 21 off Sibuyan Island in Romblon, leaving about 200 people dead and 500 missing.

It was only during the initial search and rescue operation that authorities found the presence of the toxic cargo in the ship, prompting them to hold retrieval operations.

To protect divers, rescue teams agreed that they would continue removing skeletons of the victims trapped inside the ship once the endosulfan cargo has been completely taken out. – Evelyn Macairan