CAPSIZED. The M/T Terra Nova that capsized and sank off the coast of Lamao in Limay, Bataan early Thursday (July 25) and has reportedly caused an oil spill in the coastal water. Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga has ordered the deployment of a survey vessel to locate the ship. (Photo grabbed from the Philippine Coast Guard Facebook page)
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday ordered the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and other concerned agencies to assess the environmental impact of an oil spill from a massive oil tanker that capsized off the coast of Bataan.
In a situation briefing on the effects of Super Typhoon Carina and the enhanced southwest monsoon, Marcos called on the DENR, along with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), to lead the assessment and allow the government to prepare for mitigation measures.
“Can we add an instruction to the DENR to make already an assessment on the environmental impact of this?,” President Marcos said during a briefing at the Presidential Security Command compound in Manila.
“Basically, what we need to assess is where was the capsized vessel? The fuel is being released, what are the tides? What are the winds? Where is it headed? Para maunahan na natin. We need some determinations of that,” he added.
The President also ordered the agencies to provide all necessary data to allow authorities to address the oil spill and its impact on the environment.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said 16 of the 17 crew of the oil tanker have been rescued by the PCG.
MT Terra Nova was carrying around 1,494 metric tons of industrial fuel oil when it capsized some 3.5 nautical miles off Lamao, a coastal barangay of Limay, Bataan early Thursday.
“It (Terra Nova) capsized at 1 o’clock early this (Thursday) morning and there’s already oil spill and right now, we cannot dispatch our resources because of strong winds and high waves,” Bautista told the President during the briefing.
“We already coordinated with the private sector, Harbor Star, and [it] will deploy the resources as soon as it will be possible,” he added.
Meanwhile, Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga immediately went to Bataan as instructed by the President, to assess the environmental impact of the oil spill.
However, Loyzaga and her team were unable to do the actual inspection of the reported oil spill because of the zero visibility caused by heavy rains.
She instead had a meeting with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bataan Governor Joet Garcia to discuss the response operation and possible hazard mitigation.
“Ang immediate na kailangan po nating malaman ay ang location ng vessel at kung ano ang structural condition nito (We need to immediately know the location of the vessel and its structural condition) in order for us to understand and anticipate the dispersion of the oil,” Loyzaga said in an interview.
Once the vessel is located, she said, the DENR would work on ecosystem protection.
“This means the mapping of the ecosystems reached by the spill and the determination of contamination of water sources once we have located the vessel,” she added.
She said the DENR is also coordinating with the UP Marine Science Institute to model the possible dispersion of vessel fuel and its oil cargo should leakages occur.
Meanwhile, the department’s regional offices will establish additional water and air quality stations and coordinate with the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office on the possible impacts on coastal and marine ecosystems. (PNA)
