SAN FERNANDO, Sibuyan Island, Romblon -- Where once they sourced food and livelihood, residents here were ordered Saturday to stay away from the Sibuyan Sea as officials feared water contamination because of toxic cargo inside the sunken M/V Princess of the Stars.

A 15-man team of professional marine salvors were also flown to Romblon in the afternoon carrying 1.6 tons of sub-sea tools to salvage some 10,000 kilos of highly toxic endosulfan, officials of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said in a briefing here.

“I think the major issue now, number one, is the threat of chemical contamination which our scientific experts will determine how best to approach...It's not merely a problem of chemical contamination but, in an engineering equation, how to best get this ship up and out,” said NDCC chairman Gilberto Teodoro said in a briefing at the town hall here.

The pesticide, shipped by Del Monte Philippines during last week's Manila-Cebu trip of the Sulpicio Lines vessel, is believed to still be intact in 400 25-kilo cartons inside a 40-foot container in the ship's cargo hold, said NDCC executive officer Glenn Rabonza.

The load sank along with the ship and close to 750 passengers less than a kilometer off Sibuyan Island a week ago.

Rabonza told reporters here that water taken from the ship Thursday night tested negative for toxins, but he said such result was “not very conclusive because we don't know whether the chemicals have leaked already.”

Teodoro said water samples would be taken twice daily from the shipwreck for periodic testing of possible chemical concentration. He said the regular tests may also determine the possible presence of unmanifested hazardous cargo on board the ill-fated vessel.

Rabonza was optimistic the cargo would still be found where it had been placed and said: “We're assuming it didn't move.”

Teodoro said the divers, among them British professional underwater salvors, would first assess the ship's condition before drawing up plans on how to extricate the toxic cargo. The official conceded it would be a “highly complex operation.”

“Initially, the first job is to assess situation downstairs and only after a thorough assessment can we determine what kind of course of action to take. But the ultimate objective is to remove the hazardous material, to recover whatever remains in there, and to get the wreckage out,” said Teodoro.

The divers, flown in by the Air Force C-130 into Tablas Island late afternoon, carried diving gear and boring tools that could cut through the vessel's hull.

For their protection, Teodoro said the divers would use Artic-grade suits which could block water seepage even while underwater. The team also has decontamination equipment ready to wash off seawater and possible toxins in it after every dive.

On shore, a virtual shield has been established around the shipwreck to prevent any human contamination.

“I talked with the provincial health officer who said that people should not be within an 800-meter radius from the sunken vessel, so I told people there not to go near. The danger is that endosulfan is highly toxic and can be inhaled...and right now, we don't know the status of the endosulfan [in the cargo hold],” said town Mayor Nanette Tansingco.

Saturday's order barred all human activity on the shoreline in Sitio (sub-village) Cabitangahan, Barangay (village) Taclobo, the coast nearest the shipwreck which had been used by divers as a staging and resting area before operations were suspended.

The makeshift staging area is also used by members of the media as shoreline shelter during coverage.

Tansingco's order extends her directive Friday preventing villagers in all 12 San Fernando barangays from fishing, swimming, or diving in the waters of Sibuyan, the main source of livelihood among most locals.

“That's why I am nagging my constituents to believe me that they should not fish, they should not eat fish and keep away from the vessel. Because if this happens to us, it will be harder, there's no antidote,” she said.

Tansingco, a general physician, said highly toxic endosulfan may be inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin and causes dizzyness, nausea, seizures, and vomiting.

“Worse, if not given proper attention, death,” she said.

She said endosulfan poisoning has no antidote and advised those who made contact with Sibuyan seawater should immediately bathe thoroughly.

“It doesn't mean that just because the fishes are still alive, there's no contamination. The fish can live but it is more dangerous for the people,” she said.

Emmanuel Asis, provincial officer of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), said there has been “no fish mortality so far” but warned that endosulfan will have direct effect on fish.

At the San Fernando public market, people have only been buying pork, chicken, and canned goods.

“Many people are buying pork because nobody wants to eat fish...But it's too bad for our fishermen,” said Lourdes Dato, a canteen owner who served menudo (meat dish) and tinola (chicken stew) on her menu Saturday.

Amid the hazards of a potentially toxic sea, another fatality washed ashore Saturday in Barangay Mabini, roughly 17 kilometers away from the town center.

Tansingco said the body of Ernesto Samson, identified as a crew member of the ship, was found yesterday in Barangay Mabini, bringing to 53 the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council's death toll from the sea mishap.

In briefing NDCC officials here, Chief Superintendent Luisito Palmera said the body count included those pulled from the wreck, found on shore, and spotted in waters off Sibuyan and Burias Islands.