- More than 50 residents had been affected.
- The island province of over 900,000 people is reeling from the disaster’s aftermath.
- The sinking tanker is spewing oil at a rate of 35,000 to 50,000 litres.
Officials reported that tens of thousands of gallons of oil seeping from a sunken tanker off the coast of the Philippines has coated pristine beaches and diving locations in an island province, sickening hundreds of locals and endangering the country’s tourist business and rich marine wildlife.
On February 28, the MT Princess Empress sank off the coast of Oriental Mindoro, southwest of Manila, spilling its cargo of industrial fuel oil into the waters around the province, where authorities declared a state of calamity for nine towns and banned swimming and fishing as they battled one of the region’s worst-ever disasters.
Jennifer Cruz, mayor of the seaside village of Pola, which has been severely impacted by the spill, stated on Thursday that more than 50 residents had been affected.
“In the span of nine days, it’s getting worse. The stench from the oil is getting stronger as the weather is also getting hotter,” Cruz told sources. “More people are also getting sick. I also was not able to visit one of the affected areas because I started feeling unwell due to the smell.”
Pola photos show black pools of oil floating in the water and washing towards the shore against a gorgeous backdrop of palm trees, while reaction crews manually pick away fuel-stained detritus.
The island province of over 900,000 people is reeling from the disaster’s aftermath, with beach resorts reporting that guests have cancelled bookings only weeks before the peak Holy Week holiday season.
“The oil has reached our beachfront property and it’s sticking to the sand,” said Marino Enriquez, operations manager of the Blue Star Beach Resort in Pola. “Some people also feel unwell from the strong smell of the oil that’s been washing ashore for days now.”
According to authorities, the extent of the environmental effect has yet to be determined.
If the spill is not contained, at least 21 protected maritime areas featuring coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangroves might be destroyed, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
According to Pola Mayor Cruz, oil is already coating mangroves, which help to minimise coastal erosion and provide protection from harsh weather events like the typhoons that visit the Philippines on a regular basis.
Japan is sending a disaster relief team to assist with cleanup, according to the country’s ambassador in Manila, who announced the move on Twitter on Wednesday. According to the Philippine Coast Guard, efforts to contain the spill have been halted multiple times for the health and safety of reaction team members.
Meanwhile, authorities are still working to rescue the tanker, which went down near the Verde Island route, a vital marine transport lane connecting Manila to the main island of Luzon.
According to the Philippine Coast Guard, the MT Princess Empress was carrying 800,000 litres (211,340 gallons) of industrial fuel oil when it sank en route from the northern Bataan province to the centre province of Iloilo after its engine overheated.
According to DENR, the sinking tanker is spewing oil at a rate of 35,000 to 50,000 litres (approximately 9,240 to 13,200 gallons) each day.
According to DENR, the spill has reached the remote Cuyo Island island group, and it is expected to continue spreading in the southwest direction, threatening northern Palawan, another biologically diverse region.
The Philippine Coast Guard has also deployed officers to monitor the resort island of Boracay, a popular tourist destination that only reopened in 2018 after extensive repair work.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stated that he believes the cleanup will be done within four months.
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