Oil spill nearing shoreline of Pola, Oriental Mindoro based on satellite photos – PhilSA

MANILA, Philippines — Satellite photos from the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) have revealed that the oil spill from a fuel tanker that sank off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro on February 28 is getting closer to the shoreline of Pola town.

Satellite photos captured by RCM-3 SAR and TanDEM-X SAR satellites dated March 15 showed that the oil slick (marked red on the map) is inching nearer Pola’s Polacay Beach and Tagumpay Gravel Sand Beach. PhilSA sent a copy of the photos to reporters on Friday.

The set of photos from PhilSA also displayed the oil’s movement from the eastern side of the Mindoro islands towards waters northeast of the province to Pola near the shores of Barangay Calima.

This satellite photo from the Philippine Space Agency shows the oil spill from a fuel tanker that sank off  Naujan, Oriental Mindoro on February 28, 2023, gradually moving towards the coast of Pola town. The satellite photo was taken on March 15 around 6:00 p.m. (Photos from the Philippine Space Agency)

READ: Oil spill ensues after vessel carrying 800,000 liters of oil sinks in Oriental Mindoro 

“The map dating 12 March 2023 was captured by the WorldView-3 satellite, while the maps dating 15 March 2023 were captured by the RCM-3 SAR and TanDEM-X SAR satellites. Several ships can be sighted, possibly doing intervention efforts,” the PhilSA said.

“All of the images used were retrieved from the International Charter Space and Major Disasters (Disasters Charter),” it added.

This satellite photo from the Philippine Space Agency shows the oil spill from a fuel tanker that sank off  Naujan, Oriental Mindoro on February 28, 2023, gradually moving towards the coast of Pola town. The satellite photo was taken on March 15 around 6:00 p.m. (Photos from the Philippine Space Agency)

READ: Oil spill in Oriental Mindoro threatens Verde Island Passage 

The massive threat posed by the oil spill has prompted a Senate investigation in a bid to find who should be held liable for the incident.

At the House of Representatives, the Makabayan bloc filed Thursday a resolution asking for an investigation while pushing for sanctions against RDC Reield Marine Services, the owner of the tanker named M/T Princess Empress.

KGA