PPA: Grounded vessels unregistered, had no records

MANILA, Philippines —  Unlike motor tanker Terra Nova, MT Jason Bradley and motor vessel (MV) Mirola 1 – which all sank or ran aground in Bataan within a week – had no transaction or clearance records from concerned government agencies, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said.

Using the vessel tracking and monitoring system (VTMS) which all ships must comply with, the agency did not receive any signal from Mirola 1, or even manual submissions from the ship management to ports in Bataan, according to PPA general manager Jay Daniel Santiago.

“For the Mirola 1, no signal received. As far as PPA is concerned, it is unknown, non-existent on PPA records,” he said over Radyo5 92.3 yesterday.

“Even at the level of PPA port management office in Bataan, even manual registration or submission they did not have it,” he added.

In an update on Aug. 1, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) started efforts to collect oil from Mirola 1 off the waters of Sitio Quiapo in Barangay Biaan, Mariveles, Bataan.

Using a dipper or tabo, PCG personnel scooped and transferred to drums the water mixed with fuel from a submerged part of the vessel, according to photos and videos shared by the PCG. The agency noted the oil collected by personnel was “sludge oil, a mix of used oil from machineries, engine/motor oil, and diesel oil.”

According to PCG’s Bataan station head Lt. Commander Michael John Encina, the fuel spilled from a drum in the submerged cargo hold of Mirola 1, which ran aground on the shores of Mariveles last July 30.

According to a report by The STAR entitled “18 ship crew members nabbed for fuel theft” on Jan. 31, 2023, the PCG held 18 sailors from MV Mirola 1 for pilfering fuel. They were caught transferring the fuel to three boats off the waters of Navotas.

As for Jason Bradley, which capsized in the waters of Mariveles last July 27, Santiago said its last record with the PPA was in November 2022 at a private port in Navotas.

Asked if Jason Bradley also carried the name Dorothy 1, Santiago said the PCG is the one to answer.

The PCG put oil spill booms and surrounded the area where Jason Bradley, which reportedly carried 5,500 liters of diesel, sank, according to an update from the agency.

A vessel carrying siphoning equipment has arrived on the night of July 31, and would start draining the diesel from Jason Bradley any time, said Encina.

Aside from being detected by the VTMS, all ships should submit notices of arrival before docking at their ports of call and be cleared by managements of ports governed by the PPA before leaving their last port of call, explained Santiago.

“Except if the private port allowed it to sail without clearance,” he added.

He also said the Bureau of Customs is in charge of finding out the cargo carried by ships.

With regard to Terra Nova, Santiago said the PPA cleared its sailing last July 21, four days before it sank off the waters in the area of a private port in Barangay Lamao in Limay town, Bataan.

“As far as PPA is concerned, all transactions were recorded, both departure and arrival, everything was cleared.”

Oil detected from fish samples

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said fish samples collected from Noveleta and Rosario towns in Cavite showed degrees of tainting with petrochemicals before the oil slick was noticed in the area.

The agency said fish harvested from areas with observed oil slicks are unsafe for human consumption.

Meanwhile, fish samples from Tanza, Cavite City and Naic remain free from petrochemical contamination.

A fish ban has already been imposed in Limay, Bataan while a no-catch zone for all types of shellfish has been declared in Cavite as a precaution.

BFAR-Central Luzon also conducted a sensory evaluation of aquaculture in the coastal areas in Bulacan and found no traces of the oil spill/sheen.

BFAR regional office 3 director Wilfredo Cruz said no sheen/spill was seen in coastal areas in Malolos city to Hagonoy town. He said they will be conducting daily sensory evaluation of aquatic fish species in coastal areas of Manila Bay in Central Luzon.

Meanwhile, the UP Marine Science Institute said images from the Philippine Space Agency showed a smaller mapped oil spill area.

The oil spill area on Tuesday was smaller at approximately 27 square kilometers compared to the 62 sq km observed last Sunday

Siphoning delayed

The efforts to drain a portion of an estimated 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel from the Terra Nova would be delayed by at least two weeks to “ensure the siphoning operation will be done the safest way,” according to the PCG.

“The siphoning will be moved to not later than two weeks from now,” said PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan.

Gavan said the apparent delay in siphoning is part of the agency’s due diligence that would “afford us with better control to reduce to barest minimum the possibility of disastrous oil spill during the conduct of siphoning activity.”

“The fabrication of metal cappings will take seven days, while their installation will then take another seven days. This week, the earlier attached seals made of special canvass capping bags will be replaced with a new set to avoid undue risks from wear and tear from its exposure to oil,” he said.

The PCG said that the siphoning operation will be done while Terra Nova is submerged 34 meters deep, around 300,000 liters of industrial fuel would be drained from the sunken ship to its sister vessel Helena Marie, which would be enough to make Terra Nova float again and be towed to shore. Every day, an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 liters of fuel would be removed further.

Helena Marie and the barge with siphoning equipment are already in the area where Terra Nova sank some 3.6 nautical miles off Lamao Point in Limay, Bataan.

Meanwhile, the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said government officials must take responsibility over the twin oil spills in Manila Bay that affected coastal communities in Bataan, Bulacan and Cavite provinces, activist groups yesterday.

The groups said the oil spill from MT Terra Nova and MT Jason Bradley could be the largest disaster in the country if not contained.

“We demand accountability from Marina and the PCG, both under the Department of Transportation, the main agencies responsible for authorizing and regulating the voyage of tankers as well as marine environmental protection and maritime security,” KMP chairman Danilo Ramos said. – Ramon Efren Lazaro, Romina Cabrera, Emmanuel Tupas