MANILA, Philippines – Siphoning of industrial fuel oil from the sunken MT Terranova may start as soon as Tuesday, July 30, Lieutenant Commander Michael John Encina told reporters on Monday, July 29.
Encina said the 14 leaking valves of the submerged tanker have been closed on Monday. Siphoning would start as soon as all valves, including the ones without leaks, are sealed.
“That will be the main activity of our operation tomorrow: the siphoning process,” Encina said in a mix of Filipino and English.
“So technically the salvor will siphon 300,000 liters of IFO (industrial fuel oil) to float MT Terranova. Hence after that, we can bring the vessel near the shoreline so we can do other measures to avert the oil spill.”
Even valves without leaks must be sealed too because when the vessel lifts as the oil is siphoned out, they might open, Encina explained.
Siphoning may last from five to seven days. Encina said a conservative estimate would be 10 days. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) had earlier set a 7-day target last week. PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said earlier in a radio interview on Monday morning that 15 valves were yet to be sealed.
The contracted salvor for this oil spill response is Harbor Star, under a no-cure, no-pay contract with ship owner Shogun Ships Company Incorporated.
En route to Iloilo, MT Terranova was carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil when it sank 3.6 nautical miles from Lamao point in Limay, Bataan. One crew member died in the maritime incident, while 16 other crew were rescued. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources estimated that 11,000 fisherfolk from Bataan will be affected under the worst-case scenario.
Reports of oil slick sightings have come in from Bulacan and Cavite, two provinces where scientists have forecast the oil to spread.
Aside from capping the valves, the PCG had deployed oil spill booms to contain spread. They have also started to make improvised booms from coconut husks.
However, oil spill booms only work in calm sea conditions, Natalie Kirk, a representative from non-government organization International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited (ITOPF) said during a meeting with concerned government officials in Pampanga province on Monday, July 29.
“So if we have rough weather…it doesn’t work. And at best, the estimates are that we can recover about 10 to 20% of the oil spilt using containment and recovery,” said Kirk.
The ITOPF representative said the most effective way of responding to the oil spill is to concentrate on the salvage efforts and in removing the oil from the vessel. – Rappler.com