2 sources of oil leak in Cavite discovered

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) divers have discovered two points of leakage in the 2.6-kilometer submerged pipeline of the Petron Rosario Depot Terminal, which are causing the continuous oil leak in Rosario, Cavite for the past five days.

PCG-National Capital Region-Central Luzon commander Commodore Luis Tuason yesterday said he hired the services of a technical diver to closely inspect Petron's submerged pipeline that was reportedly damaged at the height of typhoon "Basyang."

"Aside from the five PCG divers, we hired a technical diver, Roel Gasilan, of the Adventure-bound Diving Underwater Exploration. They conducted an underwater survey and discovered that apart from the loosened offshore flange, there was also a cut in the pipeline that measured about one foot," Tuason said.

It was during the inspection that the divers saw the broken chain connected to an anchor that was still attached to the pipeline.

The PCG theorized that the anchor, which was believed to belong to M/T Baliwag of Herma Shipping Lines, might have hit the tube causing the crack and twisting it, leading the flange to loosen and release small amounts of oil.

Tuason explained that the divers had difficulty assessing the condition of the cylinder since the water was very dark.

"We have zero visibility in the area because there is a strong water current that disturbed the soil lying at the bottom. You really have to get very close to the pipeline, about six inches, to see the damaged portions," he said.

To solve the problem, the PCG is planning to pump seawater into the pipeline to flush out the bunker oil and push it back to a container in the depot.

Tuason believes that an estimated 60,000 to 65,000 liters of bunker oil remain stored inside the cylinder.

It was agreed that they would use the fire pumps from one of Petron's tankers to pump water into the tube.

In a statement released yesterday afternoon, Petron said it has started sealing the pipeline and expect to finish this within the day.

"There are only minimal traces of oil residue which is being contained within the spill booms that we have deployed," Petron spokesperson Charmaine Canillas said.

"To put things in context, this is an accident that nobody wanted to happen but you can be assured that we are doing everything possible to ensure that this matter is resolved quickly," she said.

Pamalakaya wants compensation

However, fisherfolk activists belonging to the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) is urging Petron to immediately provide compensation to thousands of fishing families affected by the oil leak.

Pamalakaya national chairman Fernando Hicap said Malacañang and local government units in Cavite should immediately oblige Petron to pay compensation, compel the oil giant to foot the bill on the cleanup and subject the company to a full-blown investigation on the incident.

"The broken submarine pipeline of Petron where the oil spill came from was not a fortuitous event but a product of operational negligence on the part of the oil company," said Hicap in a statement.

"So what if the oil spill is already contained. Although it is a welcome relief for affected fishermen, the government should still pursue honest-to-goodness and deep investigation of this environmental disaster. And if the conclusion says Petron is grossly liable, then by all means, this petroleum company should be held accountable for their crimes against the fisherfolk and the environment," he said.

Hicap proposed that Petron immediately provide economic assistance of P20,000 per fishing family in affected coastal barangays in Cavite.

Pamalakaya said the oil spill created a scare among buyers of fish, pushing prices down by more than 50 percent.

"We are still in the process of consolidating data on how the oil spill affected the small fisherfolk in terms of daily fish catch, reduction of days in fishing and in income," the group said.

But Hicap warned that the impact could be worse, like what happened in Laguna Lake where thousands of kilos of milkfish and other inland fishery products were found dead. – Evelyn Macairan, Rhodina Villanueva