The Philippine Coast Guard have their hands full containing and recovering oil spills from three vessels. Last July 25 at the height of the typhoon-enhanced Habagat, Motor Tanker Terra Nova capsized in the waters off Lamao Point in Limay, Bataan. The tanker was carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil.
Two days later on July 27, MT Jason Bradley sunk in the waters of Mariveles, Bataan. It was carrying 5,500 liters of diesel oil. Then on July 31, MV Mirola 1 ran aground in shallow waters off the coast of Sitio Quiapo, Barangay Biaan in Mariveles, Bataan, resulting in the ship tilting to its side. Luckily it did not sink, and its oil cargo is contained in drums.
Considering that all the mishaps happened in Bataan in just a week’s time, Secretary Crispin Remulla of the Department of Justice believes that the three incidents are related and that the ships may be involved in illegal activities such as illegal siphoning. This activity is being carried out by unscrupulous oil importers to avoid paying taxes.
The oil spills immediately affected the livelihood of fishermen and fish vendors. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has warned that fish and other seafood may have been contaminated with oil from the sunken vessels. Fishermen were prevented from fishing in the affected areas. Prices of fish dropped to almost half. Resorts are in danger of losing money too as guests avoid beaches along Manila Bay.
The environment has not totally recovered from previous oil spills and is now hurting again. Just last year, an oil tanker, MT Princess Empress, encountered big waves and strong winds and capsized on February 28,2023, somewhere in the rough seas off Pola town in Oriental Mindoro. It was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel from Bataan destined for Iloilo. According to the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute, the environmental damage of the oil spill is estimated to be at P7 billion.
The biggest oil spill in the Philippines happened on August 11,2006 when the oil tanker M/T Solar-1 sank off the coast of Guimaras. It spilled more than 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel. According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the crisis affected 1,500 hectares of the local ecosystem comprised of mangroves, seagrass, and coral reefs.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States, oil spills can harm wildlife in a number of ways. The toxic effects of inhaling vapors and ingesting oil when grooming or feeding can make animals sick. Oil can also coat an animal’s fur or feathers, leading to hypothermia and a loss of buoyancy.
The clean-up of an oil spill takes many months or even years. The recovery of the environment takes even longer. The Guimaras oil spill clean up lasted for a year and it took more than ten years for the environment to recover.
Large oil spills don’t happen often. However, small oil spills happen everyday. Used cooking oil is flushed down on kitchen sinks almost on a daily basis. Backyard motor repair shops dispose gasoline and used oil in drainage canals. This dirty oil eventually reaches rivers and seas causing pollution.
Let’s be responsible. Dispose used oil properly.