Marina chief: Result of probe into Mindoro oil spill out within April

FILE PHOTO: Together with an oil spill boom and skimmer, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) was around the suspected area of the sunken oil tanker MT Princess Empress at the northeast of Balingawan Port, Lucta Port, and Buloc Bay in Oriental Mindoro on March 14, 2023. | PHOTO: Malayan Towage and Salvage Corporation via Philippine Coast Guard

MANILA, Philippines — The result of the Maritime Industry Authority’s (Marina) fact-finding on the February 28 sinking of a tanker off Naujan town that caused a massive oil spill in Oriental Mindoro may be released by mid- or end-April.

Marina Administrator Hernani Fabia said this Tuesday, explaining that their fact-finding committee has yet to report back to the agency since it has to visit three locations to verify whether the vessel, MT Princess Empress, was newly constructed as claimed by the owner.

“We have to validate. Maybe [in the] middle of this month or late of this month, we’ll have the result of the fact-finding team,” he said in a Palace briefing.

Marina earlier created the investigating team and issued a cease and desist order (CDO) against the owner of the sunken fuel tanker.

The CDO against RDC Reield Marine Services included the cancellation of the firm’s certificate of public convenience, also affecting its remaining three vessels – two tankers and a passenger vessel.

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