Calmer seas an 'opportunity' to ramp up oil slick collection, cleanup drive — UP experts
The University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP MSI) in its latest bulletin on Friday evening, March 24, advised that calmer seas should be taken as an "opportunity" to ramp up the collection of oil slicks and cleanup drives near the sunken MT Princess Empress.
"Calmer seas and larger slicks should be taken as an opportunity to collect the oil in slicks near the sunken tanker using booms and skimmers and ramp up cleanup efforts to prevent the oil from spreading further," the institute said.
It added that about 162.6 square kilometers of possible oil, the same area as Quezon City, was seen northwest and southeast of the sunken tanker.
This was according to the latest US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report based on a satellite image taken on Thursday, March 24 at 10:15 a.m., UP MSI noted.
"The slicks floating in the area around the sunken tanker show that oil was still leaking out as of yesterday, March 23," it said.
Meanwhile, the satellite pass has not detected oil slicks in the southern part of Mindoro despite cloud-free skies.
Courtesy of UP MSI
Courtesy of UP MSI