Expert: Oil spill still manageable

A BRITISH oil expert said the oil spill caused by the sunken MV St. Thomas Aquinas is “manageable and not catastrophic.”

Michael O’Brien, technical team manager of the International Tankers Oil Pollution Federation (ITOPF), presented his findings to Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama in a closed-door meeting yesterday.

The findings were later announced in a press conference by Asst. Vice President Lito Salvio of 2GO.

Divers continue to work to plug the sources of the leaking of bunker fuel and reportedly finished 90 percent.

Salvio said Genetron International Marketing was contracted to take care of  the disposal of wastes caused by the oil spill.

“Since August 23, we have collected 2,500 bags of liquid and solid wastes from the oil spill,” said Kris Guanzon, Genetron representative .

The wastes will be packed and shipped to Manila for treatment and disposal.

“Our aim here is to properly treat and  dispose the wastes,” Guanzon added.

Genetron is also a partner of ABS-CBN’s Bantay Kalikasan in disposing oil wastes.

Salvio said they will be working with Dr. Resurreccion Sadaba, University of the Philippines Iloilo Oil Spill Response Program manager, who earlier discouraged using hair and feathers as improvised oil spill booms.

The 2G0 management will be demonstrating how to make oil spill booms from coconut husks today to the mayor.

Commander Weniel Azcuna of the Philippine Coast Guard-Cebu station said the joint diving team of Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp. and the Nippon Salvage reported to him that they are 90 percent done with plugging the leaks on the ship.

The team will focus on spraying chemical dispersants on the water surface to minimize the oil spill’s effect on the shorelines.

The spill hasn’t reached the waters off Cebu City, said Ranulfo Sebusa of Cebu City’s Bantay Dagat team.

“It is still in Tonggo Island which acts as a natural barrier and helped prevent it from reaching Cebu City,” he said.

Sebusa said he expects the oil spill to reach the city next month depending on the direction of the winds. /Jose Santino S. Bunachita, Correspondent