INTERNATIONAL Oil Pollution Convention (IOPC) Director General Joe Nichols told the media that the convention might approve a recommended siphoning of the remaining oil loaded in the sunken M/T Solar 1 but not a salvaging.
Nichols said there was a little support to the suggestion of salvaging the sunken ship.
The convention has 92 member countries and the Philippines is one of them.
The executive committee which is in the position to decide on what to do with the sunken ship is yet to make its decision on October 23 and 24 during its meeting.
Nichols said they have recommended that the oil be removed from the wreck. “I’m 99.9 percent certain the answer is yes.”
The siphoning which he said might happen during November after the go signal from the Executive Committee, would cost eight to 12 million US dollars. Covered under the insurance is the damage of pollution and the cost of the rehabilitation.
The incident’s insurance amounts to 300 million US dollars.
“There were only six companies in the world that have the technology to get the oil from the wreck.”
Nichols sampled that there were various sunken vessels in the Atlantic which has remained under the sea level for a hundred years.
Initially, the IOPC has released one million US dollars for the clean-up operations. The amount shall also be utilized for paying the claims of the affected residents and tourism.
“This is a fully-funded incident. As estimated, the total damage won’t exceed to $ 300 million.”
As of now, claims from resort owners and damages on tourism were among the claims filed. Next in line were the fisherfolks.
Required were the total fish caught during the previous years before the incident happened and its market price.
The claims will be received before Christmas said Nichols.
“Anybody who has suffered pollution damage resulting to economic, property and environmental damages among others were qualified to file their claims including the cargo owner-Petron Corporation,” Nichols said.
The Corporation has not yet filed its claim though said Nichols.
The Britton praised the volunteerism of Petron saying that in most of the same cases, the cargo owner does not take the responsibility of cleaning the polluted area.
In this case the Petron is a "good samaritan."
Mediamen started to wonder if Nichols was knowledgeable of the recent findings of the SMBI investigation that the Petron has the civil liability.
In addition, Presidential Adviser Lito Cosculluela denied that the sunken ship does not leak anymore.
He said that the ship still leaks at 120 liters per day. (LABB)
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