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Friday, August 25, 2006
Refloating charged against ship owner's insurance: Petron
PETRON Corporation's local spokesperson Caloy Tan confirmed that a Japanese salvage company is coming to locate and refloat the ship that sank 16 nautical miles south southeast of Guimaras Island, but not to their expense.
Petron Public Affairs Officer Rafael Ledesma, stated in a press release that Fukada Salvage and Marine Works Co., Ltd. will be inspecting on Saturday, the location and position of the said vessel that sank 640 meters of water (2,100 feet) deep in Guimaras Strait last August 11.
The salvage ship of Fukada is based in Okinawa, Japan and it will take three days from Thursday for it to reach the site of Guimaras Island where the ship sank. The salvage ship is equipped with state of the art monitoring equipment that provides images of the vessel at the ocean floor as it is utilizing a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) that will allow it to search the seabed and determine the position and condition of M/T Solar 1.
Petron, in a press statement, said it has been coordinating with the Protection and Indemnity Club (P & I), which will pay for the engagement. P and I is the marine insurance of Sunshine Maritime, which owns M/T Solar 1.
"It covers third party liabilities and expenses arising from owning ships or operating ships as principals. Petron will also assist in securing customs and other government clearances."
"With the arrival of (salvage) ship we hope to establish the real condition of Solar 1 and put to rest all this speculation," Petron Chairman and CEO Nicasio Alcantara stated in the press release.
"While our aerial surveys indicate that the leak has stopped, we have been gravely concerned about the possibility that the remaining oil in the vessel will continue to be released into the environment."
Alcantara added that the result of the underwater survey will dictate the next course of action Petron is going to take.
Petron also expressed difficulty in knowing the real condition of sunken M/T Solar 1, which still contains 1.8 million liters of bunker fuel, because of the depth - 2,100 feet, 'is the greatest depth any oil tanker has ever been sunk.'
Petron CEO, in his answer to claims of laxity over the oil spill, stated that the company has deployed equipment which includes W.I.S.E or Waterborne Industry Spill Response tugboats, oil spill booms, absorbent pads, oil skimmers, dispersants etc.
There were four oil spill response teams that have been assisting in clean-up operations, it further stated.
"The company has likewise been very active on the ground organizing the communities affected under Petron's Ligtas Guimaras Program to help in clean-up operations onshore. Under a "Cash-for-Work" scheme, Peton has been employing an average of 740 people daily. As of August 22, the clean-up teams have already cleared 25 kilometers of shoreline and it is estimated that it will take 30-45 days for the clean-up to be completed."
Petron though is yet to resolve the monetary claims of affected areas.
"While we have been focusing most of our efforts to clean-up operations, we are taking a more strategic look at developing long-term solutions to rehabilitate damaged areas in close partnership with University of the Philippines-Visayas, World Wildlife Fund and Siliman University."
Petron fired these announcement yesterday during its press conference of Task Force Guimaras which government agencies such as Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health (DOH) and the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) were members.
The DOH once more warned the residents of the ill effects of having contact with the oil spill, and its commitment to health assistance while the DSWD pledged that relief operations in cooperation with various agencies continues.
Meanwhile, various Iloilo organizations launched the Save Our Seas (SOS) Movement to aid in preparing for the possible spill in city's coastal areas.
Green Forum - Western Visayas, Iloilo Mountaineering Club, Iloilo Mountain Bikers Federation, Western Visayas Caving Association, Phil-American Progress School, CPU (Central Philippine University), WVCST (West Visayas College of Science and Technology), Paulinian Environmental Society, Iloilo-Students Alliance for Nature and Development (I-STAND), Professionals for Social Responsibility (Pro-SR), and We-Heal (Workers for Environment and Health) were among these groups.
Members of these groups have prepared indigenous booms at the Iloilo Fishing Port Complex.
"SOS welcomes volunteers and contributions of materials like: corn cobs (kayan sang mais), rice straws (uhot sang humay), coconut husk (tapas sag lubi), dry grasses (laya nga hilamon kag cogon), jute sacks, vegetable sacks/screen sacks or bags, old fishing nets, plastic containers for floaters, empty mineral water bottles with caps, plastic gallons, plastic straws, tie wires, plastic twines, ropes, drums, bamboos, geo-textiles / coconut coir, foods for affected communities and for volunteers, rubber boots, rubber gloves and face masks," the group stated in their press statement.
(August 25, 2006 issue)
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