Winds of up to 300 kph and waves whipped up by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in November last year detached Power Barge 103 from its moorings in Estancia, Iloilo and released 900,000 liters of oil into the sea.
The 35-megawatt power barge has a fuel storage capacity of 1.4 million liters.
The contract to clean up was awarded to Kuan Yu Global Technologies Inc. (KYGTI).
At a hearing on Dec. 16 last year, members of the House committee on energy were shocked to learn that KYGTI was an operator of neighborhood water purifying and refilling stations.
At the hearing, Karl Ignatius Young, president of KYGTI, said he “trained extensively as far as Norway in oil spill prevention, management and contingency responses, and previously served as chief of the Philippine Coast Guard’s Central and Eastern Visayas Marine Environmental Protection Unit.” Raffy Antonio, Inquirer Research (Source: Inquirer Archives)