SAYS ‘PRINCESS’ TASK FORCE CHIEF
Still zero contamination but retrieve toxic cargo ASAP
By Cynthia Balana
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:49:00 06/28/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- A team of salvage experts with high-tech gadgets from Singapore is on their way to Sibuyan Island in Romblon to extract a container van containing 10 metric tons of highly-toxic pesticide from the M/V Princess of the Stars, Transportation and Communications Secretary Maria Elena Bautista said Saturday.
Interviewed by Vice-President Noli de Castro on his weekly radio show, “Para Sa Iyo, Bayan,” Bautista who is head of Task Force M/V Princess of the Stars, said the experts who will conduct underwater surveillance of the ship left noon with two tons of equipment and cutting machines to remove 425 boxes (10,000 kilos) of endosulfan, a pesticide used for growing pineapples which is being imported by pineapple growers Del Monte and Dole.
“We want to...get the cargo out by Wednesday or Thursday at the latest. If we can get the job done Monday or Tuesday, so much the better. Once the endosulfan is removed, that's the only time the search operations for survivors and bodies can resume,” Bautista said.
She said the experts will bring with them a barge carrying a crane so they can lift from the capsized ship the container van, which, based on Sulpicio Lines' stowage plan is around 120 to 140 feet under the sea.
Bautista also said the experts with protective suits will take video footages of the vessel and then decide how best to get the toxic chemical from inside the ferry. They will then present this to the task force.
According to Bautista, the strategy may involve boring a hole on the ship and then lifting the container van of endosulfan using the crane.
"More or less, we have an idea where the container is located ... The barge will then lift the container and [we] turn it over to the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority for proper disposal," she said.
Bautista said that the experts were highly-recommended by those who are in the know in the industry as far as retrieval operation was concerned.
“Very critical ang timing kaya kailangan magawa agad (Timing is critical which is why the retrieval needs to be done immediately),” she said.
Bautista said that based on the report of toxicologists, it was still zero contamination as far as the pesticide was concerned.
She expressed hope that the container van is still intact since this would reduce the risk of chemical poisoning.
De Castro said there was a need to exercise caution in removing the container as a tiny leak would spell a big problem.
Asked by De Castro if there were other chemicals on board, Bautista said that based on the cargo manifest, Bautista said there were also 36 drums of asphalt and another shipment of transformers being used in electricity.
She also said there were brand new cars for delivery to the owners like Ford and Toyota.
Bautista said there was an immediate need to also remove the drums of asphalt and transformers as their presence was “critical.”
The search for hundreds of bodies feared trapped has been postponed until next week while officials try to remove 10 tons of toxic pesticide from the vessel.
M/V Princess of the Stars ran aground last Saturday during a typhoon and then overturned in about 15 minutes off Sibuyan island in central Philippines. The vessel had 865 passengers and crew.
Officials said on Saturday that water samples taken from the sea off Sibuyan island showed there had been no contamination but a fishing ban around the area was maintained.
At the Senate, Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross, appealed to local government officials not to bury bodies of suspected sea mishap victims to enable their proper identification.
"Do not bury the bodies until we have properly identified each and every one of them. The Red Cross will pick them up and transport them to Manila. By identifying the bodies, this will help give closure to the families of the victims," Gordon said.
Gordon made the appeal after he was informed that some mayors had ordered the burial of bodies found in their towns.
He requested Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales for help in securing a court order for the exhumation of bodies of sea mishap victims which may have already been buried. This is so that the bodies can be transported to Manila for proper identification.
Gordon has confirmed the availability of 25-seater helicopters from Malampaya contractors that will transport bodies as well as survivors from provinces hit by typhoon "Frank" to Manila.
He said he had requested Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes to secure the commitment of the Malampaya contractors for the use of their helicopters.
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