Oil spill threatens Philippines

[Don-Chedi]

Philippine tanker ‘leaking oil’

The slick has now affected hundreds of kilometres of coastline

Oil is continuing to leak from a tanker which sank off the Philippines 11 days ago, according to coastguard officials.
The tanker was carrying around two million litres of oil when it sank in heavy seas off the island of Guimaras.
The widening slick has damaged large areas of coastline, and is threatening rich fishing grounds.
It is one of the worst spills to hit the Philippines, and the government has appealed for international assistance with the clean-up.
Teams of experts from Japan and the US are expected to arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday to assess the damage.
Leak
The tanker, the Solar 1, was on its way to deliver two million litres (530,000 gallons) of oil to a power plant on the southern island of Mindanao when it sank.

Eighteen crew members were rescued, but two people are still missing.
The spill has now affected some 300km (200 miles) of coastline on Guimaras island, the civil defence office said.
Sludge and dead wildlife have been washing up on beaches along the coast, causing damage to reefs, marine reserves and the tourist industry.
The slick is also threatening nearby Negros and Panay Islands, where villagers have been erecting makeshift booms to hold the oily sludge back.
Head of the Philippine Coastguard Vice Admiral Arturo Gosingan said on Tuesday that more oil had leaked from the sunken tanker overnight.
“It’s definite that there is a leak,” he told Philippine television.
But a spokeswoman for Petron Corp said there had not been any more seepage. “Our own aerial surveys confirm that there’s no new leak,” she said.
Officials are now looking at whether it would be better to refloat the vessel or try to suck out the remaining fuel, the French news agency AFP reported. Presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said the government was making “tactical decisions” on the clean-up. “We need to focus all our energy and resources in addressing the problem,” he said.

[htweeo]

:angry: :thumbs_do

[Don-Chedi]

Philippine oil spill claims life

By Sarah Toms
BBC News, Manila

Residents are cleaning up sludge with their hands

An oil spill in the central Philippines has claimed its first human victim, with a man dying from breathing the toxic fumes.
In the 12 days since the tanker sank, the huge slick has washed sludge onto huge areas of coastline.
The oil spill has damaged fishing grounds, and polluted dive spots and a national marine reserve.
Health officials say the man inhaled fumes of the thick, tar-like substance outside his home on Guimaras island.
Villagers say skin and breathing problems have become commonplace.
The government has hired locals for the clean-up, paying them less than $4 (£2.11) a day to scoop up the sludge on the shores. Many have no masks and use their bare hands.
Huge cost
The tanker delivering 2 million litres of industrial fuel sank on 11 August, but rescue workers are still battling to contain the spill.

Petron Corporation, a Philippine state-controlled oil company which chartered the tanker, said the cost of the clean-up and any losses incurred would be covered by insurance.
The Philippine coastguard says it has handed Petron a bill for nearly $2m (£1.06m) to cover the initial cost.
But a spokesman has challenged the claim that Petron could be held responsible, saying the vessel was seaworthy and blaming bad weather on the accident. Only one of the ship’s 10 containers is known to have burst, emptying 200,000 litres of industrial fuel oil into the sea. Petron said it is bringing in Japanese experts for underwater assessment of the tanker, which is in deep water beyond the reach of divers.

Dus, slechts 10% is nog maar ontsnapt, 1.8 miljoen liter ligt daar als een tijdbom op de bodem….. 🙁

[Don-Chedi]

Philippines oil spill barge sinks

The spill has caused health problems for some residents

A barge carrying hundreds of tonnes of debris from last August’s devastating oil spill in the Philippines has sunk.
The barge was being towed to a processing plant when it sank in rough seas, raising fears of another environmental crisis.
Officials say the crew has been rescued, and that they are investigating the incident.
A tanker, the Solar 1, was carrying two million litres of oil when it sank near the Guimaras island on 11 August.
The spill affected 40,000 people and hundreds of kilometres of coastline.
Bad weather
The barge, hired by oil refiner Petron, was carrying sludge from the site where the Solar 1 sank.
Local officials blamed the sinking on giant waves and strong winds.
Fishing had been prohibited in the area four days ago because of bad weather.

The enforcement chief of the Philippines Maritime Industry Authority, Arnie Santiago, told news agency AFP that effects on the environment were expected to be minimal.
The agency quoted him as saying that the sand and bunker oil, which were contained in sacks, “would sink to the bottom of the sea and will likely leave only traces of oil, like thin filaments that would also evaporate”.
A spokesman for Petron, which had also chartered the Solar 1, told Reuters news agency that the company had sent equipment to clean up the latest sinking.
He said the debris “is unlikely to pose a danger to communities, shoreline or marine life”.
‘Disaster in the making’
But environmental group Greenpeace said Petron should be held accountable for the sinking of the barge.
“Petron has yet to fully answer for its disastrous oil spill, but here it is again with another environmental disaster in the making,” it said in a statement.
Philippines President Gloria Arroyo had described the August spill as a national calamity.
The salvage operation has been dogged by problems.
The spill has affected coastline and threatened rich fishing grounds. Oily sludge and dead wildlife has washed up on beaches, with reefs, marine reserves and the tourist industry all affected. The pollution has also been causing health problems to residents.