A ship capable of towing the wreckage of the sunken motor tanker (MT) Princess Empress arrived in Zambales on Tuesday, March 28, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said.

Pacific Valkyrie, an anchor handling vessel, anchored at Subic Bay at 7:12 a.m. to support the ongoing oil spill management operations in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro where the oil tanker sank last Feb. 28.

Pacific Valkyrie was carrying a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) team from the United States which will conduct a video and sonar survey of the ill-fated oil tanker using an underwater robot, the OCD said.

The wreck survey will provide additional situational data on the shipwreck which will assist in determining solutions to salvage the vessel and its contents, according to the OCD. The tanker had a cargo of 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil but close to 400,000 liters only remain onboard due to leaks.

“Once all mandatory checks and preparations are completed, the Pacific Valkyrie, carrying an ROV team from the US, will head to Oriental Mindoro to check the current situation of the shipwreck and its fuel cargo,” said National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Chairperson and Department of National Defense Officer in Charge (DND-OIC) Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez Jr.

“We will then use [the] data gathered to determine the next appropriate course of action to control the oil leakage coming from its source,” he added.

Aside from this, the US government sent 11,000 feet of 26-inch absorbent harbor boom which can be used to control the spread of oil, the OCD said.

The US government also provided personal protective equipment (PPEs), various support equipment, vehicles, and vessels as well as experts from the US Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to help in the oil spill response. Meanwhile, the US Navy will also be deploying personnel to assist in the efforts.

“We welcome this assistance coming from our US counterparts. We are confident that this initiative would greatly help our assessment efforts, thereby enabling us to implement the most effective containment and cleanup strategy,” OCD Administrator Usec. Ariel Nepomuceno said.

Meanwhile, the OCD said 36,658 families or 172,928 have already been affected by the oil spill in 163 barangays in Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Antique, and Batangas.

A total of P142.9 million worth of assistance were provided to the affected residents. Among the aid extended by the government agencies and non-government organizations include family food packs, hygiene kits, financial assistance, and other non-food items.

For the cleanup operations, a total of 10,206 liters of oil-mixed water and 72,643 kilos of oil contaminated debris had been collected in the affected areas.