ROV completes survey of sunken MT Princess Empress –shipowner

As the oil spill response continued in Oriental Mindoro's Naujan town, the owner of the MT Princess Empress on Saturday said the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) contracted from Japan had completed its survey of the sunken motor tanker.

“The at-sea response continues with the ROV having completed its survey of the sunken wreck. Experts have identified points where oil is trickling from the vessel, and specialized equipment is being mobilized to the workboat ‘Shin Nichi Maru’ to help mitigate pollution,” RDC Reield Marine Services, owner of the MT Princess Empress, said in an update.

The RDC Reield Marine Services said the suggested clean-up techniques by the independent oil spill expert International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited (ITOPF), including high-volume flushing and high-pressure washing of affected areas, were being implemented in Oriental Mindoro.

Other barangays in the affected areas of Semirara and Western Visayas would be proceeding with the vital part of the clean-up process to complement the ongoing shoreline clean-up work.

The RDC Reield Marine Services added that a contamination map of the impacted areas was nearing completion. The map would help in effectively focusing the local clean-up efforts on the areas that needed it the most.

The safe storing and disposal of recovered oil and tainted waste, which was an essential part of the clean-up process, was also underway.

Intermediate waste storage sites (IWSS) had been identified, and international experts Le Floch Depollution, with local contractors, were preparing the holding areas with proven containment measures and layers of protection for the local people or environment.

Skimmers continued to recover surface oil in the at-sea containment, while recovery efforts with shipowner-contracted oil spill response tugs worked alongside the Philippine Coast Guard.

Additionally, experts continue to use aerial surveillance and satellite imagery to map changes in the direction of the spill, its spread, and possible landfall.

Authorities found at least 23 holes on the sunken MT Princess Empress from which oil leaked through.

MT Princess Empress sank on February 28 while carrying 900,000 liters of industrial fuel. All 20 people on board were rescued. — DVM, GMA Integrated News