Over one million liters of oily waste have been collected from the sunken motor tanker (MT) Terranova, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported on Sunday, Sept. 1.
In a statement, the PCG said that contracted salvor, Harbor Star, collected a total of 𝟏,𝟎𝟑𝟐,𝟓𝟓𝟕.𝟓𝟖 liters of oily waste from August 19 to 31.
“Harbor Star deployed additional pumps and said that the rate of oily waste flow during the 31 August 2024 operation was 18,575 liters per hour,” it stated.
According to the PCG, the Oil Spill Response Team (OSRT) oversaw the transfer of oily waste at Orion Dockyard, ensuring the process was completed without any leaks.
The PCG reported that as of August 31, 346,000 liters of oil waste were loaded onto trucks at Orion Shipyard for transport to a waste management facility in Marilao, Bulacan, where they will be properly disposed of.
“BRP Panglao (FPB-2402) conducted aerial surveillance at the ground zero,” it added.
The PCG stated that FES Challenger, the salvor under contract, continued working on resealing and patching the vessel’s manhole and air vents.
As such, the OSRT also patrolled the coastline and reported no visible oil sheen.
Safe for consumption
On August 30, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) announced that fish in all areas in Manila Bay potentially affected by the oil spill are now safe for human consumption.
“Based on the results of the latest analyses, all samples of fish, crustaceans, cephalopods, and shellfish collected on August 27 from Bacoor City, Cavite City, Noveleta, Rosario, and Tanza, five areas of which fish were previously declared still unsafe for human consumption, have now passed its third consecutive round of sensory evaluation, and are now therefore SAFE for human consumption,” the report stated.
“Fish and other seafood products in the provinces of Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Batangas, and Metro Manila, as well as municipalities of Naic, Ternate, Kawit, and Maragondon in the province of Cavite, which have already been declared safe for human consumption through Bataan Oil Spill Bulletin No. 4 dated August 13, 2024 and Bataan Oil Spill Bulletin No. 5 dated August 22, 2024, respectively, remain safe for human consumption based on the result of latest analyses conducted by the DA-BFAR,” it added.
With this, the fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) urged the BFAR to instruct fish traders to purchase fisherfolk's catch at fair prices.
The group said fisherfolk in Cavite, Bataan, and Navotas had earlier reported further declines in the farm gate prices of their fishery products due to the July oil spill.
Despite the fish showing no signs of oil contamination, Pamalakaya accused traders of exploiting the situation to further depress prices.
Earlier, Pamalakaya said more than 50, 000 fishers from Cavite, Bataan, and Metro Manila have been affected by the severe impacts of the oil spill’s aftermath.
On July 25, MT Terranova, carrying 1.4 million liters of oil, capsized and sank off the waters of Limay, Bataan.
It can be recalled that green groups Greenpeace and Oceana had earlier called on the government to ensure accountability for the "preventable" incident, demanding action from both the responsible government agencies and the private owners of the tanker.