SITUATIONER Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Artemio Abu (second from right) on Tuesday briefs members of the Korean Coast Guard Emergency Response Team on the oil spill situation off Oriental Mindoro. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — The US Navy will deploy its remotely operated vehicle (ROV), Hydros, starting April 3 to help in operations to contain the oil spill from a fuel tanker that sank off Oriental Mindoro a month ago, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Wednesday.
The Hydros is “a working-class ROV with full manipulator arms,” that would augment oil containment and recovery solutions.
To support the ROV operations, the US Navy will also bring “a container of support equipment, including a crane and launching system to be able to deploy the ROV from the vessel,” the PCG said.
Slick and sludge from the MT Princess Empress that capsized and later sank off Naujan town on Feb. 28 had reached coastal areas in several towns in Oriental Mindoro, Antique, and Palawan and the Verde Island Passage, a strait known for its rich marine biodiversity.
The tanker was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil and was on its way to Iloilo when it encountered engine trouble and sank off Mindoro.
The Pacific Valkyrie, an anchor-handling vessel carrying the ROV, arrived in Subic, Zambales, on Tuesday, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said in a separate statement.
“Once all mandatory checks and preparations are completed, the Pacific Valkyrie… will head to Oriental Mindoro to check the current situation of the shipwreck and its fuel cargo. We will then use data gathered to determine the next appropriate course of action to control the oil leakage coming from its source,” the OCD quoted acting Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. as saying.
Experts from the US Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and US Navy are also expected to arrive in the country for assistance.Focus on VIP
On Tuesday, Adm. Artemio Abu, PCG commandant, met with the technical experts from the Korean Coast Guard (KCG) and Singapore-based Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL), the largest international oil spill response cooperative.
“I told them to focus on the Verde Island Passage because of the recent projections that the spill will reach the area,” he told the Inquirer.
The experts brought in by the KCG and OSRL are expected to lend their expertise on oil spill response and give their assessments, just like those provided by US Coast Guard and Japan Disaster Relief expert team, he said.
Meanwhile, water samples taken from three areas in the tourist town of Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro all tested negative for industrial oil. The samples were taken on March 17 from Varadero Bay, Palangan and Escarceo Point, and were tested and analyzed until March 24, a local government statement said.
Noe Lineses, president of the Puerto Galera Tourism Council, said most resorts and hotels in the town were booked for the Holy Week.
“There is not a drop of oil in Puerto Galera waters. Our beaches, coves and bays remain clean, pristine and rich in marine life. Now is the best time to come to Puerto Galera,” Lineses said in an interview on Wednesday.