Removal of sunken ship off Antique 80% complete

In two to three weeks’ time, salvors are expected to completely remove the cargo vessel M/V Ocean Papa that sank off Antique last June 21, as it continues to be a hazard to sea navigation.

Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo, commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), said he was informed that the salvors have completed extracting 80 percent of the ship and are expected to complete the task either by the last week of October or the first week of November.

“The PCG supervises the salvage operations. (The ship) needs to be removed because it poses a hazard to navigation. The objective is to remove the wreck along the sea lane,” he said.

Tamayo said the sunken ship has to be removed piece by piece.

“The ship sank in deep waters that is why we cannot refloat it. The chopped parts would then be loaded on a barge and brought to the shore. It can still be sold as scrap metal,” he said.

The PCG earlier announced that it has stopped its search and retrieval operation for the toxic substance toluene di-isocyanate (TDI).

It was earlier reported that 61 container vans had been recovered from the ship, but the 80 sealed drums containing the TDI have yet to be found.

“(The salvors) have used sophisticated equipment such as sonars but they still could not locate the TDI. They believe that the cargo has sunk deeper into the sea,” Tamayo said.

Tamayo said they have even sought the help of the local government and the police and have even offered a P100,000 reward just to recover the drums, but these efforts were unsuccessful.

However, Tamayo said they do not fear that the TDI would cause any environmental problem. He quoted experts as saying that the substance “is not harmful so it should not cause any alarm.”

TDI is a main ingredient in the production of flexible polyurethane foam and is used in manufacturing synthetic leather, coated fabrics, paints and adhesives.

The chemical can cause severe irritation of the skin and eyes and could damage the respiratory, gastrointestinal and central nervous systems if it is inhaled or ingested.

The M/V Ocean Papa, owned by Oceanic Container Lines Inc., capsized in rough seas last June 21 near Mararison Island off Culasi, Antique while en route to Iloilo City from Manila.

The ship captain, Carlo Kho, and one of his men died in the tragedy, while two others have remained missing. At least 24 crewmembers were rescued.