Coast Guard team to assess Cebu oil spill damage

The Coast Guard has sent a response team to Cebu to assess the damage from an oil spill caused by a ship repair accident last weekend. Radio station dzBB reported Monday that Coast Guard commandant Vice Admiral Damian Carlos was "worried" over the possible damage the oil spill has caused. Coast Guard spokesman Lieutenant Senior Grade Armand Balilo said the team will head for Toledo City to assess the damage. Balilo also said fishermen in the area had complained that oil slick had damaged their fishing nets. Earlier, Sun-Star Cebu reported that an oil spill triggered by a ship repair accident last weekend threatens to spread to at least 11 coastal villages in Cebu province. The Sun-Star report said that as of Sunday, the oil spill already covered the waters of five coastal barangays, including that of neighboring Toledo City, since Saturday morning. Fire Officer 1 Ben Diotay, Balamban fire investigator, said a car transport ship of Tsuneishi Heavy Industries Cebu Inc. caught fire past 10 p.m. last Friday. It took firemen until 3 a.m. the next day to extinguish the blaze. Three hours later, Barangay Sto Nino, Toledo City fishermen noticed thick oil spreading in the waters. Barangay Sto. Nino straddles the border between Toledo and Balamban. Diotay said the ship might have leaked as a result of the fire, which started in the vessel's engine room. Tsuneishi could not be reached for comment. Local radio reports quoted Sto. Niño Barangay Captain Haile Baron as saying the spill has spread out over a 150-meter radius. Oil has reportedly reached the beach near the city cemetery and a private resort in Barangay Matab-ang, Toledo. Baron feared that marine life in 11 coastal barangays is in danger if the oil is not quickly isolated. But Dario Surig, Toledo Bantay Dagat project director, said crude oil released from the ship already dissipated to the shores of Sto. Niño and Matab-ang. At 4 p.m. Sunday, he said, the two barangays' waters were already clear of the spill. Surig said Tsuneishi also dispatched a tugboat, a speedboat, some personnel and oil spill containment equipment to stop the oil from spreading further. "The sea is okay now. All efforts are on the beaches. Tsuneishi personnel and fisherfolks are helping clear crude oil from the two barangays," Surig said. Balamban Mayor Alex Binghay said the spill affected Barangays Buanoy and Arpili, but the problem was quickly taken care of by Tsuneishi and local fishermen. Arpili's mangroves, though, were reportedly damaged. In a separate interview, Toledo City Mayor Arlene Zambo said she directed the Bantay Dagat to investigate and help in containing the spill. "From the information I got, the situation was worsening because dead fish have begun floating in our seas," she said. Surig said they were in need of more sacks for the clean-up. -GMANews.TV