Oil spill in the Philippines

[jabc]

An oil spill off Oriental Mindoro in the Philippines is moving southwest and has reached Casian Island off Palawan.

Horrible situation for those whose livelihoods and health are directly affected. It's just an inconvenience for us divers, but nevertheless...monitoring how this will impact diving in Puerto Galera and Tubbataha. I'm booked for Puerto Galera in March and Tubbataha in April.

oil spill philippines

 

[Centrals]

Oil spill hits tourism in Philippine province

Resorts in a Philippine province known for world-class beaches and dive spots are reeling from the impact of an oil spill just off the coastline, as tourists cancel reservations during what is supposed to be peak season.

www.reuters.com

This is awful.

MT Princess Empress insured for $1 billion, says MARINA official

RDC Reield Marine Services should file an insurance claim for the oil spill and help affected communities, MARINA spokesperson Sharon Aledo says

www.rappler.com

No compensation is big for environmental damages.

 

[Johncn]

Very troubling development. Links from below, but looks like the Amihan monsoon is weakening, and the oil that has been drifting southward around Pola, and down as far as Palawan since the sinking, now MAY endanger the Verde Island Passage (VIP) areas around Puerto Galera, Verde Island and Batangas / Anilao...let's hope for the best for the biodiversity of the region, and the economies of the local communities. Japan is helping. I hope the US does as well.

Edit: Reports at a Philippine Senate hearing that the company didn't have a permit were disputed by the Philippine Coast Guard, which submitted a photo of the actual permit to their Twitter account. (Johncn)

Oil spill in Oriental Mindoro threatens Verde Island Passage

CITY OF CALAPAN, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines — The continuous leakage of industrial oil from the sunken MT Princess Empress in the waters off Oriental Mindoro province is projected to reach

newsinfo.inquirer.net

 

[Centrals]

The picture is pretty grim!
The spill only has two directions to go and will bring havoc to the surrounding environment.

 

[rmorgan]

tomorrow’s Manila Times:

“CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro: A study by the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute after the recent massive oil spill off Oriental Mindoro waters warned coastal communities — especially those on the eastern and southern sides of Oriental Mindoro, including Caluya Island (Northwestern Antique), and potentially Cuyo Island of Palawan — to prepare for the possibility that the oil spill could reach their shores. The study added that a recent simulation focusing on the area of the tanker's location from March 10 to 16 shows that with continuous seepage of oil, most of the oil will end up along the Naujan coast and Pola Bay. "However, due to the weakening amihan, some of the oil may flow northwards towards other areas of the Verde Island Passage by March 16, affecting coastal areas of Calapan, Verde Island, and some parts of Batangas. The oil spill threatens the global center of marine biodiversity located in the Verde Island Passage (VIP)," the report added. The VIP is the body of water between Batangas and Mindoro and it has the highest concentration of coastal fishes, corals, crustaceans, mollusks, sea grasses, and mangroves. The VIP is also home to endangered and threatened species including the critically endangered hawksbill turtle, whale sharks, manta rays, dugongs, humphead wrasses, giant groupers, and giant clams. Damage from the oil spill may affect biodiversity including endemic species only found in the Philippines as well as species yet to be discovered, tourism revenues, and food security in the area, the report further said.”

 

[Johncn]

Sadly, the continued weakening of the monsoon has allowed the spill to begin to spread north as predicted in the video clip above by the Philippines Marine Science Institute. The oil reached Calipan City on Thursday night, and as many know, this is on the very edge of the VIP (Verde Island Passage: which includes Verde Island, Puerto Galera & Anilao) biodiversity region between Mindoro and Batangas.

Hopefully, the drift will change.

Oil spill reaches Calapan City - Manila Standard

Oil from the MT Princess Empress, which sank with its cargo of 800,000 liters of industrial fuel on Feb. 28, has reached Calapan, the capital city of Oriental Mindoro, local officials said Friday, as conservationists pressed the national government to act more quickly.

manilastandard.net

 

[rmorgan]

Discussion and images of this disaster are here. Heartbreaking. An oil spill off the Philippine coast has coated some of the world's most beautiful beaches in sludge: 'Our white sand is now black'

 

[CWK]

Does anyone know if the oil spill is expected to reach Batangas, Anilao, Coron and other popular dive destinations?

 

[Johncn]

Kind of a couple different questions. Anilao is on the northwest side of Batangas Bay (Mabini Peninsula), north of the spill. Coron is far south in Palawan, but oil has mostly been seeping southward until now. The maps up above in this thread may help. Oil has reached the edges of that very large, stretched out province of Palawan. But, no reports of oil in Coron that I have seen.

The weakening Amhian monsoon winds from the NE have allowed the oil to reach Calapan City (edge of the Verde Island Passage) as of late last week. This is northeast of the spill, and not far. It's Monday morning here, so maybe there will be some additional updates.

This article references the scientist in the one video clip I posted above about the danger to the VIP. However, it is also three days old, and Calapan has already been reached:

"Dr. Irene Rodriguez of the UP-MSI warned that if the oil spill is not controlled soon enough, there is a chance – however slim – that the slick could reach as far as the beach resort area of Puerto Galera in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro and other parts of Batangas.

“Based on prevailing wind direction, wind velocity and ocean current, the projection is majority of the oil slick will still go to Naujan and Pola,” said Rodriguez. “But there is a possibility for a fraction of the oil slick to be directed toward the area of Puerto Galera, Calapan and some areas of Batangas.”

Coast Guard expects wider oil spill area

Authorities will have to contend with a wider oil spill because the MT Princess Empress, which sank in waters off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, has yet to leak a significant amount of industrial oil in its tank, the Philippine Coast Guard revealed yesterday.

www.philstar.com

 

[rmorgan]

Here’s an article from today‘s Manila paper. It doesn’t supply new information about locations, but talks about the potential consequences. Oil spill in Oriental Mindoro Ship's owner must answer – Bong Go