MAASIN CITY?The residents of Padre Burgos town in Southern Leyte province heaved sighs of relief after the tanker carrying 230,000 liters of diesel fuel that ran aground on the town?s barrier reef more than two weeks ago was finally removed on Tuesday.

The MT Shirley Ann was towed by two tugboats of the Harbor Star salvor company that was hired by the South Pole Transport Corp., the owner of the tanker, on Tuesday from a barrier reef where it ran aground past midnight Aug. 29, Padre Burgos Mayor Ricardo Borces said.

Borces said in a telephone interview that he was happy that the tanker was finally removed.

He added that the tanker has sailed for Zamboanga City for drydocking.

?We felt relieved,? Borces said. He added that the two tugboats that pulled the vessel were still at the pier of Padre Burgos, 22 km from Maasin City.

In an earlier interview days after the ship ran aground, Borces said they were afraid when they learned that the ship was carrying 230,000 l of diesel oil.

The town of Padre Burgos, which has about a dozen dive shop-resorts, has several marine protected areas.

Borces also thanked Southern Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado for his effort to ask the Coast Guard hierarchy for the immediate removal of the tanker, which posed a threat for a possible oil spill.

Alarmed over the delay in the removal of the vessel, Mercado urged the Coast Guard top officials to act on the matter so that it could not lead to another oil spill similar to what happened in Guimaras.

The oil tanker MT Solar I, carrying two million liters of bunker fuel, sank on Aug. 11, 2006 in rough seas off Guimaras Island and spilled 500,000 l of oil that still affected the fishing grounds, marine sanctuaries and mangrove reserves in three out of five municipalities on Guimaras Island.