PCG dispels fear of oil spill off Batangas

SEALED CARGO The fishing vessel Anita DJ II is shown here partially submerged in the sea some 13 kilometers from the shore of Calatagan, Batangas on Saturday. The boat completely sank by Tuesday. It was carrying 70,000 liters of marine diesel oil when it sank but the cargo has been sealed to avert an oil spill, the Philippine Coast Guard assures. PHOTO FROM PCG-SOUTHERN LUZON FACEBOOK

LUCENA CITY—A Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) official on Tuesday dismissed the concerns raised by environmental groups about an oil spill along the fragile Verde Island Passage (VIP) after a fishing vessel carrying 70,000 liters of diesel oil sank off the coast of Calatagan town in Batangas province, on Sunday.

The fishing vessel, Anita DJ II, was carrying marine diesel oil when it partly sank after encountering strong rains while traveling from Navotas City in Metro Manila to Palawan province. By Tuesday, however, the vessel has completely sank in sea located some 7 nautical miles (around 13 kilometers) from the shoreline of Cape Santiago in Calatagan’s Barangay Bagong Silang.

However, Commodore Geronimo Tuvilla, the PCG-Southern Tagalog commander, assured the coastal communities near the half-sunken sea vessel that there was no cause for alarm over the incident.

“The viscosity of marine diesel oil is thinner and dissipates more easily. When stirred by waves and sunlight, it can easily dissipate in the sea,” Tuvilla said in a radio interview.

He further explained that marine diesel oil is different from the industrial oil that was carried by MT Princess Empress when it sank in Oriental Mindoro last February and spilled 800,000 liters of its oil cargo in the waters off the province.

The incident involving the Princess Empress, considered the first marine environmental crisis under the Marcos administration, caused a massive oil spill that affected coastal areas in Oriental Mindoro and Batangas, both of which are within the marine corridor of the VIP, as well as those in Antique and Palawan provinces.

Lower threat level

The Princess Empress oil spill in the VIP—a 1.14-million-hectare marine ecosystem located off the coastlines of Batangas, Romblon, Marinduque, Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro provinces—has disrupted the livelihoods and well-being of thousands of residents, caused billion of pesos in damage, and harmed the world’s most biodiverse marine habitat, according to environment protection advocate Protect VIP.

In the interview, Tuvilla emphasized that the “threat level of marine diesel oil is lower” compared to the thicker industrial fuel oil.

“It will be easy to combat them (marine diesel oil),” he said.

Tuvilla said the PCG had deployed a ship using water cannons to help dissipate the oil sheen on the water in the vicinity of the sunken fishing vessel.

Anita DJ II had 13 crew members on board when it stalled and started to sink, all of whom had been rescued.

Tuvilla reminded mariners to evade passing near the sunken Anita DJ II as the fishing vessel was carrying fish nets and there was still floating debris that could endanger passing sea vessels.

The PCG is still conducting an investigation and has invited the fishing boat owner to shed more light on the cargo of the sunken vessel. INQ