Mariveles residents endure foul smell from oil spill caused by sunken tanker

For almost a week, residents of Mariveles in Bataan had to endure the foul smell of the oil spill from the MTKR Jason Bradley that sank in shallow waters along the coast.

In Jun Veneracion’s report in “24 Oras,” the oil sheen from the motor tanker can be observed along the shore.

“Kagabi nahihirapan matulog yung mga tao dito sa tindi ng amoy,” a resident complained.

(Last night, we had a hard time sleeping because of the strong smell.)

On July 27,  Saturday, the motor tanker was carrying 5,500 liters of diesel before it sank to a depth of nine meters, resting on the muddy bottom 600 yards away from the shore. 

The oil spill has resulted in many dead fish and has affected the livelihood of the town’s fishermen.

“Gawa po ng oil spill, lahat ng huli namin bumaba. Hindi makalaot kasi walang bumili ng aming kalakal,” a fisherman lamented.

(Due to the oil spill, all our catches decreased. We cannot go out and fish because no one is buying our catch.)

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has deployed another oil spill boom near the location where MTKR Jason Bradley sank, while another vessel assigned to perform the siphoning operation is preparing to transfer the fuel from the stricken tanker’s holds.

Meanwhile, authorities provided Barangay Cabcabin with an improvised oil spill boom made from coconut husks that was placed at the opening of a river to prevent the oil from the sea from entering.

Three oil spill incidents have been recorded in the past days, with the latest being the MV Mirola 1 that ran aground the coast of Mariveles and was carrying environmentally harmful materials.

The PCG said it is currently recovering oil from MV Mirola 1 via manual methods.

Meanwhile, the oil recovery operation on MTKR Terranova, which was carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial oil when it sank off Limay in Bataan, has been postponed to two weeks.

The PCG said the metal capping of the stricken vessel’s valves need to be replaced before siphoning could proceed.The customized capping could be finished in a week and an additional week is needed to install them.

“The more time we give to our salvor, we are certain about the things we are doing. Hindi po tayo nagmamadali. The better po iyon,” said PCG Lieutenant Commander Michael John Encina, Incident Commander, Bataan Oil Spill Response.

Encina said the PCG has managed to contain the oil slick that was seeping at one liter per hour.

He added that Metro Manila, Region 4-A and Region 3 could be affected by the oil spill if they try to rush their response.

“This will have a massive effect on the Manila Bay if minadali po natin,” Encina cautioned.

The coast guard’s pace, however, is considered too slow by an official from the Bataan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).

“I would like it to be a little faster. As days go by, the effects of it, not just the environment, is also increasing. Plus the effects of it on our constituents, our residents here in Bataan,” said Arvin Catipon, Chief PDRRMO Bataan.

To the north of Manila Bay in Bulacan, a BFAR team conducted a sensory evaluation in response to reports the oil spill reached the province’s waters. Several fish that were caught and tested revealed they were not contaminated by the oil spill. To prove these were safe for human consumption, the BFAR team cooked and ate the fish.

Based on the latest satellite images from the Philippines Space Agency, the oil spill area has decreased in size compared to the image captured last Sunday. —Vince Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News