PCG contains oil sheen from distressed vessel off Balabac, Palawan

FLOODED The Philippine Coast Guard says the 80,000 sacks of rice carried by MV Viet Hai Star, which ran aground off Balabac town in Palawan province, are still in the flooded cargo vessel. The
Vietnamese-flagged ship, which came from Ho Chi Minh City, was on its way to Cagayan de Oro City on Tuesday when it met rough sea conditions. —PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has placed oil spill booms around a Vietnamese-flagged cargo vessel that ran aground off Balabac town in Palawan province on Tuesday night, after oil sheen was observed in the surrounding waters.

Ensign Chrieson Dave Gabayan, Coast Guard District Palawan (CGD Pal) assistant public affairs officer, said they dispatched a response team to the area on Thursday to inspect MV Viet Hai Star and discovered that it was already flooded due to high tide and rough seas on Wednesday night. The vessel has settled on a muddy and rocky area in Calandorang Bay.

Gabayan, in a phone interview on Thursday, said they monitored the presence of oil sheen in the area where the vessel is now listing about 740 meters from Balabac port in Barangay 4. He said they immediately sent PCG vessel BRP (Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas) Sindangan (MRRV 4407) to contain the oil sheen.

“We started deploying oil spill booms around the vessel and we have also sprayed dispersant on the shores,” Gabayan said.

The cargo vessel was bound for Cagayan de Oro City from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam when the crew found a leak at the starboard side of the bow. The vessel was carrying 29,000 liters of automotive diesel oil and 80,000 sacks (4,000 tons) of rice.

RESCUED The 17 Vietnamese crew members of MV Viet Hai Star have been rescued and are in good condition. —PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD

Top priority

“As of the moment, our top priority is to contain the oil sheen because the vessel is only more or less one kilometer from the residential area before we proceed to other plans,” Gabayan said.

He also said no other plans had been laid down regarding the vessel and its contents.

As of Thursday, the rice cargo was still inside the vessel.A PCG responding team rescued the vessel’s 17 crew members, all of them Vietnamese. They were all in good condition and waiting to be transported to Puerto Princesa City on Thursday.

Gabayan said the vessel’s owner had been notified of the accident.

CGD Pal Special Operations Group divers are conducting an underwater inspection to assess the vessel’s status. —WITH A REPORT FROM FRANCES MANGOSING