An oil spill in the Philippines blocks thousands of fishermen at the wharf

Philippine authorities ordered thousands of fishermen to stay at the docks on Friday March 3 because of a difficult to contain oil spill that occurred after the sinking of a tanker earlier this week. The oil spill stretches for 120 kilometers about nine kilometers off the coast of Mindoro Island, south of the capital, Manila, said Ram Temena, a disaster management official in Mindoro Oriental province, in the center-west of the country.

The Philippine Coast Guard is still looking for the Princess Empress, which sank in heavy seas off the town of Naujan on Tuesday after having an engine problem. Another ship rescued the twenty crew members.

A cargo of 800,000 liters of fuel oil

Provincial Governor Humerlito Dolor said the situation was “getting worse”. He ordered the 18,000 registered local fishermen to stay at the docks until it was safe to catch fish. While waiting to be allowed to fish again, they will receive food parcels. “It’s going to have a big impact on us,” Mr. Dolor said, fearing “long-term” negative effects.

The tanker was transporting 800,000 liters of fuel oil from the province of Bataan, near Manila, to the central province of Iloilo. The diesel fuel that powered the boat and some of the cargo spilled into the sea, the coastguard said earlier, fueling concerns around the region’s rich underwater life and the industries that depend on the activities maritime. The quantity of diesel and fuel oil discharged into the water is not known.

Unusable floating dams

Coastguard spokesman Armando Balilo told local media that rough seas had prevented the deployment of booms meant to stop the toxic slick from advancing. Chemicals were used instead in order to break it down.

Pola town mayor Jennifer Cruz reported that oil-soaked dead fish had washed up on the shore of her township, which is just south of Naujan. “Our entire coastline was affected by the oil spill,” she said. According to her, coastguards and volunteers are cleaning the beach, some with their bare hands, and have filled several barrels with the toxic product.