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Philippine Coast Guard Completes Extraction Of Oil From MT Princess Empress
Screengrab from PCG
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) announced on Saturday that the extraction of the remaining oil from the sunken MT Princess Empress in Oriental Mindoro has been successfully concluded, two days ahead of the scheduled date of June 19.
Rear Admiral Armand Balilo, PCG spokesman, revealed during a news forum that a joint operation involving the PCG, Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), local government units (LGUs), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) verified the completion of the oil spill recovery process. Balilo stated, "Yesterday, they showed us footage indicating that the tanks were empty, so they declared that the oil spill recovery in Mindoro was completed."
He further explained that based on assessments and recovery procedures, there is no longer any oil remaining in the tanks, except for some residual oil in the pipes that the salvage operator has deemed unstoppable.
The siphoning operations, which commenced on May 29, were carried out with the assistance of the Dynamic Support Vessel (DSV) Fire Opal, chartered by Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp. (MTSC). The MT Princess Empress, which was reported to have contained approximately 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil, ran aground off the coast of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro in February due to engine trouble and subsequently sank the following day.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. had expressed his desire for the cleanup operations to be completed in under four months.
Balilo noted that two salvage vessels will remain in the area for monitoring purposes, in case any additional oil leaks are detected and need to be recovered. However, he emphasized that the oil spill containment operation is not yet fully completed, and further consultations with stakeholders such as the OCD, DENR, BFAR, and the local government unit of Mindoro are still ongoing.
The successful completion of the oil spill recovery marks a significant milestone in the efforts to protect the marine environment and preserve the coastal communities of Oriental Mindoro from the adverse effects of the incident. The PCG and other concerned agencies will continue their collaborative work to ensure the comprehensive rehabilitation of the affected area and prevent any further environmental damage.
Rear Admiral Armand Balilo, PCG spokesman, revealed during a news forum that a joint operation involving the PCG, Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), local government units (LGUs), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) verified the completion of the oil spill recovery process. Balilo stated, "Yesterday, they showed us footage indicating that the tanks were empty, so they declared that the oil spill recovery in Mindoro was completed."
He further explained that based on assessments and recovery procedures, there is no longer any oil remaining in the tanks, except for some residual oil in the pipes that the salvage operator has deemed unstoppable.
The siphoning operations, which commenced on May 29, were carried out with the assistance of the Dynamic Support Vessel (DSV) Fire Opal, chartered by Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp. (MTSC). The MT Princess Empress, which was reported to have contained approximately 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil, ran aground off the coast of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro in February due to engine trouble and subsequently sank the following day.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. had expressed his desire for the cleanup operations to be completed in under four months.
Balilo noted that two salvage vessels will remain in the area for monitoring purposes, in case any additional oil leaks are detected and need to be recovered. However, he emphasized that the oil spill containment operation is not yet fully completed, and further consultations with stakeholders such as the OCD, DENR, BFAR, and the local government unit of Mindoro are still ongoing.
The successful completion of the oil spill recovery marks a significant milestone in the efforts to protect the marine environment and preserve the coastal communities of Oriental Mindoro from the adverse effects of the incident. The PCG and other concerned agencies will continue their collaborative work to ensure the comprehensive rehabilitation of the affected area and prevent any further environmental damage.
Jun 17, 2023
