Manila Bay salvage work nearly done

WHICHVESSEL? This Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) photo shows salvagework being done on a vessel in Limay, Bataan, but did not saywhether it was the Jason Bradley or the Mirola 1. —PCG PHOTO

Nearly 1.3 million liters of oil was collected from the siphoning of the sunken oil tanker Terranova off Limay, Bataan, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Sunday.

This was based on the report by the contracted salvor, Harbor Star Shipping Services Inc., which said that a total of 1,296,069 liters of oil had been collected from Aug. 19 to Sept. 7, after an additional 52,355 liters were collected on Saturday.

The siphoning was halted for five days, from Sept. 2 to Sept. 6, due to the effects brought by Tropical Storm “Enteng” (international name: Yagi).

“Harbor Star said that the rate of oily waste flow during the [Sept. 7] operation was 8,690 liters per hour,” the PCG said.

The PCG has been using the term “oily waste” without defining the term or explaining the term’s effect on the shipowner’s legal liabilities.

200,000 liters remain

From a report on ABS-CBN News, PCG NCR-Central Luzon spokesperson Michael Encina said in a radio interview also on Sunday that up to 200,000 liters of oil waste remain to be extracted from the Terranova.

He told Teleradyo Serbisyo the salvor needs at least two more days to complete the oil siphoning and only then can the shipwreck be removed.

Terranova capsized and sank a few nautical miles off Lamao Point of Limay, Bataan, on July 25, leaving one crew member dead and 16 being rescued.

It was carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil and prompted alarm from environmental groups over its threat to the coastal areas, demanding accountability from the company behind it.

However, the PCG did not explain why 200,000 remained to be salvaged from the tanker when the salvor had already siphoned off 1.3 liters.

Aerial surveillance was also conducted by the coast guard while its BRP Sindangan monitored an agitated oil sheen at ground zero.

The Terranova was one of three vessels that was distressed after Typhoon “Carina” hit the country. The PCG has not released information on why the vessels sunk or were grounded.

Calamities in 21 areas

In August, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government said that the three sunken vessels may have been involved in oil smuggling.

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But the Terranova’s operator, Portavaga Ship Management Inc., denied the claim and the DOJ never filed charges.

The DOJ also claimed that the two other distressed vessels also had legal problems: the MV Jason Bradley and MV Mirola 1 were not cleared to sail by the PCG.

The Mirola 1 was also found to be have been unregistered while Bureau of Customs records showed that the Jason Bradley was the subject of a seizure and detention warrant in 2022.

The three vessels caused states of calamity to be declared in 21 areas in Bataan and Cavite, according to the the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

In its situation report, the NDRRMC said the number includes Bataan’s 11 towns and capital city Balanga as well as Cavite’s seven towns and two cities—Kawit, Noveleta, Rosario, Tanza, Naic, Maragondon, Ternate, Cavite City and Bacoor City.

The oil spill has so far affected 25,145 fisherfolk in Calabarzon, it added. INQ