Two tugboats have been deployed in Oriental Mindoro to contain the oil sheens that were again monitored in the municipal waters of Naujan nearly three months since motor tanker (MT) Princess Empress sank and sparked a massive oil spill.
The PCG released on Saturday, May 20, a consolidated report on the collective offshore and shoreline clean-up efforts of its response teams along with other partner-agencies during the past week to control the spread of the oil leaks from the sunken tanker.
Among the efforts undertaken was the deployment of MTug Titan-1 and MTug Cabilao by the Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp. to contain oil sheens spilt in Naujan.
PCG: 2 tugboats deployed in Or. Mindoro as oil sheens persist
May 20, 2023 07:40 AM
At a glance
Two tugboats have been deployed in Oriental Mindoro to contain the oil sheens that were again monitored in the municipal waters of Naujan nearly three months since motor tanker (MT) Princess Empress sank and sparked a massive oil spill, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.
(Photo: PCG)
The PCG released on Saturday, May 20, a consolidated report on the collective offshore and shoreline clean-up efforts of its response teams along with other partner-agencies during the past week to control the spread of the oil leaks from the sunken tanker.
Among the efforts undertaken was the deployment of MTug Titan-1 and MTug Cabilao by the Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp. to contain oil sheens spilt in Naujan.
“The joint team from the PCG-Marine Environmental Protection Command (MEPCOM) and Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp. aggressively collected the oily water mixtures accumulated from the offshore recovery operations,” the PCG said.
Malayan is the contractor hired by the owner and operator of MT Princess Empress, RDC Reield Marine Services, Inc.
(Photo: PCG)
Meanwhile, the PCG-MEPCOM’s National Strike Force were deployed in Sitio Buloc-Buloc, Brgy. Montemayor in Naujan to remove the stranded oil-contaminated debris attached to the mangroves.
Oil stains were also sighted attached to rocks at the shoreline of Sitio Buloc Buloc and the joint response teams cleaned the remaining oil traces in the area.
(Photo: PCG)
“MEPCOM National Strike Force personnel conducted manual wiping of cobbles and pebbles using sorbent pads in the affected shoreline at Sitio Buloc-Buloc,” the PCG said.
Meanwhile, the PCG supervised personnel of Harbor Star and Shipping Inc. who were hired to conduct “shoreline flushing” in Oriental Mindoro.
(Photo: PCG)
“They used high-pressure water to wash stranded oil from boulders in Barangay Puting Cacao, Pola, Oriental Mindoro,” the PCG explained.
“The shoreline cleanup team hired by Harbor Star and Shipping Inc. washed sediments inside a concrete mixer with sand, water, or a non-toxic agent and rinsed using a mesh as a Phase 2 oil spill cleanup method,” it added.
MT Princess Empress sank off Naujan on Feb. 28 while containing 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil.