by Catherine S. Valente - Red Mendoza - Moises Cruz - Bella Cariaso
Mar 05, 2023 12:06 am
MARINE scientists are advising the government to prepare for the possibility that the oil spill caused by the sinking of the MT Princess Empress off Mindoro could reach coastal areas as far as Antique and Palawan.
They also warned that it could affect around 20,000 hectares of coral reef, 9,900 hectares of mangroves, and 6,000 hectares of seagrass in municipalities across Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, and Antique.
The tanker sank on February 28 off the coast of Naujan, Occidental Mindoro, and contained around 800,000 liters of industrial fuel.
Based on aerial surveys conducted by experts from the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and scientists from the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP MSI) on March 3, the slick's length is estimated around 25 kilometers long and around 300 to 500 meters wide, oriented northeast and southwest. The slick's tail end was located in Pola Bay as confirmed by satellite images released by the Philippine Space Agency.
In this handout photo received from the Philippine Coast Guard and taken on March 2, 2023, a coast guard personnel collects water sample from of an oil spill in the waters off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro. A Philippine tanker carrying 800,000 litres (211,338 gallons) of industrial fuel oil partially sank in the country's archipelagic waters Tuesday, causing a suspected oil spill stretching several kilometres, authorities said. Handout / Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) / AFP
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