Authorities conducted aerial and maritime surveys over Manila Bay on Saturday, August 3, to determine the extent of the oil spill from the sunken motor tanker (MTKR) Terranova.
Based on the result of the two surveys, Manila Bay is already “clear” of oil spill although there was still oil sheen observed at the “ground zero” in Limay, Bataan where MTKR Terranova sank last July 25 while carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil (IFO).
“Clear po ang Manila Bay. Wala po kaming nakitang oil sheen in all coastal areas except doon sa ground zero na mayroong small pocket of very thin oil sheen contained in an oil spill boom na naka lay around sa ground zero (Manila Bay is lear. We have not seen any oil sheen in all coastal areas except in the ground zero where we saw small pocket of very thin oil sheen contained in an oil spill boom that was lay around in the ground zero),” Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan said.
The PCG chief said that the oil spill is "under control for now."
"Isipin pa rin natin na nandoon pa ang oil sa ilalim ng dagat so hindi pa rin po kami nagpapahinga (We have to think that the oil remains under the sea so we are not resting yest)," he said.
The aerial survey was joined by representatives from the PCG, Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Meanwhile, select members of the media boarded PCG ship BRP Suluan (MRRV-4406) as they roamed around the ground zero.
According to Gavan, there was still less than one liter per hour of oil spilling from MTKR Terranova.
The planned siphoning operations was rescheduled for at least two weeks.
This is because the contacted salvor, Harbor Star Shipping Services Inc., by the owner of the MTKR Terranova, Shogun Ships Company Inc., is in the process of manufacturing metal caps that will be used to reinforce the canvass-type caps installed to cover all the 24 pipes and valves of the sunken tanker, including some of them which are spilling oil.
The process for the manufacture of the metal caps will take seven days while the installation will be another seven days.
While waiting for the siphoning operations to begin, Gavan said that the PCG's containment procedures to control the oil spill continue, including the use of the usual and indigenous oil spill booms (made from coconut husks and logs), and use of oil dispersant and water cannon to break down the oil into smaller particles so it would evaporate or sink.
"Ang ating mga containment procedures ginagawa pa rin natin. Nakabantay pa rin tayo, nagmomonitor tayo. Continuous pa rin ang production natin ng indigenous oil spill booms together with our Coast Guard Auxiliary and LGUs [local government units] (We are still doing our containment procedures. We are monitoring the situation. The production of indigenous oil spill booms together with our Coast Guard Auxiliary and LGUs is also continuous)," Gavan said.
Investigation
Gavan said that it has started an investigation to determine the liability of the owners of MTKR Terranova for the oil spill, which has also affected thousands of fisherfolk in Cavite, and even their own personnel if there is negligence on their part.
“The coast guard actually has started its own investigation, the marine casualty investigation on the side, but with due regard to the ongoing operation. We assure everybody that full investigation will proceed after the oil has been cleared from the side,” Gavan said.
“The assurance also is we will impose appropriate sanctions to our people if they are found [liable] after the investigation. But for now, we are focused on our mission which is to prevent oil spill,” the PCG chief added.