Probe: Overloading, rough seas sank tanker

By Joel E. Zurbano

OVERLOADING and bad weather caused the sinking of the Solar I tanker that resulted in the country’s worst oil spill, a member of the Special Board of Marine Inquiry said.

“Those are my personal findings based on the testimonies given to us during the hearings. Other board members have different individual conclusions, but in the end the same result will come out,” said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

He said the board’s findings and recommendations had been submitted to the Department of Transportation and Communications, but he declined to say who would face charges for creating the environmental disaster off Guimaras Island.

“Secretary [Leandro] Mendoza will announce this,” the official said. “He created the [board] so he will be the one who will give you the full details.”

Investigation showed that during the voyage, the tanker listed about five to seven degrees to starboard side when it encountered rough seas associated with the southwest monsoon while en route to its destination.

(For the full story, click Overloading, Sept. 13, 2006.)

Solar I could have been hit by ’something solid’ — BMI prober

A MEMBER of the Special Board of Marine Inquiry said Tuesday that despite the denial of the crew members of the ill-fated MT Solar I, physical evidence showed that a barge or something solid got near them and caused the hole on the side of the vessel.

Commodore Benjamin Mata, BMI member, said it can be concluded that something solid bumped into the vessel.

Some members of the board, during previous hearings, asked the crew if any vessel got near their vessel, to which all of the witnesses answered in the negative.

The presence of the hole sparked insinuations that oil could have been smuggled prior to the sinking of Solar I on August 11.

To which, Mata said: “We are unable to say that oil smuggling really happened because no one admitted to it.”

(For the full story, click Something solid, Sept. 12, 2006.)

Newsbreak’s special report on the latest CSR flunkee

By Dennis D. Estopace
(Newsbreak, September 25, 2006, Pages 20 and 21)

WHILE PETRON Corp. is known for its much-publicized advocacy of corporate social responsibility (CSR), the way its executives initially navigated the recent oil spill accident near Guimaras has become another case study of how companies don’t usually walk the talk.

During the stormy afternoon of Aug. 11, 2006, an overloaded Solar 1 marine tanker chartered by Petron to transport 2.4 million liters of bunker fuel sank a few kilometers southwest of Guimaras, an island province. Reports reaching the Senate said that an initial 200,000 liters leaked from the sunken tanker and have “so far affected some 300 kilometers (187 miles) of coastline, 500 hectares (1,235 acres) of mangroves and 60 hectares (148 acres) of seaweed plantations, and at least 26,000 villagers in Guimaras.”

A day after the news of the oil spill broke, several employees from Petron Foundation flew to the area giving out canned goods, rice, and bottled water to 9,153 families. More employees were eventually mobilized to assist in the clearing of the oil spill, which, as of August 28, reached 123 metric tons of oil from an estimated 94.48 kilometers of seawater. Petron Corp. hired 869 people from the affected communities to help in the clearing for P200 a day. These residents had limited work options, anyway, since they couldn’t catch and sell the fish from their usual fishing grounds.

While Petron volunteers were on the ground, however, executives in Manila were taking a different tack. For days, company executives were quiet even as the public watched daily on TV images of human sufferring in Guimaras. Environmentalists, too, swarmed the area, and local officials implored Petron to be accountable. Several groups even e-mailed petitions calling on consumers to boycott Petron products.

Petron officials explained that the cargo was theirs, but the ship that continued to spill the deadly oil from 900 meters below sea level was not. In its disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the publicly listed company said, “Petron is not under any legal or contractual obligation to set aside 10 billion pesos in economic aid or to post a 100-million bond to pay for cleanup as under pertinent Philippine Coast Guard circulars, it is the spiller who is primarily responsible for conducting cleanup operations with the supervision of the Coast Guard.”

The pressure on Petron to act according to the public’s expectation could be measured against its declared adherence to CSR practices, according to Asian Institute of Management professor Felipe Alfonso. The accident certainly doesn’t call for being “legalistic.” Alfonso adds that there are other situations that call less for shoring up against future litigation than immediately accepting responsibility. He explains that the true essence of being a CSR advocate is to go beyond legal requirements and respond to social needs, whether immediate or otherwise. (Related story below)

(For the full story, click Newsbreak. Shameless plug: Latest issue of this great magazine is available at your nearest bookstore or newstand.)

Cost to Guimaras: P9.2 Billion

Newsbreak, September 25, 2006, Page 21

PETRON LOST what could have been millions in income from the 2.4 million liters of oil that sank with M/V Solar 1 near Guimaras. They’re spending more for the cleanup costs and assistance to affected residents. But it’s nothing compared to how much Guimaras lost and has yet to lose. Based on the initial estimates of Resource, Environments, and Economic Center for Studies (REECS), a group of environmental economists, the island will suffer an economic loss of almost P9 billion in the first year alone. This covers the cost of the lost environmental services and recreational and tourism values. This means that cleaning up efforts and related health services for the population, estimated to cost another P266 million, is only the tip of the iceberg.

The damage to the mangroves, coral reefs, seagrasses, and estuaries—which are fish habitats—would cost Guimaras P8.3 billion worth of services. The damaged area includes the Taklong Island Marine Sanctuary, which is an area of study for many marine biologists because of its rich marine biodiversity. According to a report by the World Wildlife Fund, the dugong, green sea turtle, hawksbill turtle, and several cetacean species are threatened.

According to the REECS report, 14 out of 36 resorts in Guimaras were affected by the oil spill. The tourism sector may lose an estimated P652.2 million this year because of the tragedy.

Following a formula used internationally in evaluating economic values of ecosytems, REEC’s estimates were based on the assumption that the affected areas are totally damaged. These exclude compensation for the residents who largely rely on the sea for livelihood. Nearby provinces also depend on the sanctuaries of Guimaras for fish. This can be proven and then quantified by looking at the ocean currents.

(For the full story, click Newsbreak. Get the latest issue from your nearest newstand or bookstore.)

Cancer, leukemia possible long-term effects of oil spill

THE chief of the National Poison Management & Control Center on Tuesday warned that exposure to bunker oil may result in cancer, leukemia and congenital anomalies of unborn babies in the long-term.

The warning was aired by Dr. Lynn Panganiban, head of the center at the University of the Philippines in Manila, who added that short-term effects of exposure to bunker fuel may result in respiratory and skin ailments.

“In two to three years, different types of cancer can happen,” she explained adding that bunker oil contains many harmful chemicals.

She said doctors would like to study the effects of the oil spill and come out with their findings “as soon as possible” as she expressed willingness to provide a copy of the study to the people of Guimaras who may use this as an evidence in their class suit against Petron.

In the same interview, she admitted that studying the health effects of the oil spill in Guimaras island poses a big challenge for Filipino toxicologists since there is little study on the health hazards of bunker oil exposure among communities.

(For the full story, click Cancer, leukemia, Sept. 12, 2006.)

BMI findings on Solar I sinking up for DOTC evaluation

By AMITA LEGASPI, GMANews.TV

TRANSPORTATION Secretary Leandro Mendoza would have the final say on the investigation over the sinking of M/T Solar I last month.

On Tuesday, the Special Board of Marine Inquiry refused to make public their findings, saying Mendoza would still evaluate their recommendations.

As of this posting, the SBMI was still consolidating the findings and recommendations of the members of the board. The BMI members were asked to submit their individual findings.

“(The findings and recommendations) will be subject to his (Mendoza’s) concurrence. If he is not happy, he can throw it out and create another board,” Commodore Benjamin Mata, BMI member, told GMANews.TV.

Asked if Mendoza would himself make public the result of the probe, Mata said: “if he so desires.”

The SBMI started its inquiry on August 29 and invited over a dozen resource persons, including the captain of the ill-fated tanker and representatives of Petron Corp., which chartered the vessel to ferry bunker oil from the oil firm’s port in Bataan to Zamboanga City.

Mata said any release of the findings should have the authority of the DOTC. “It would not look good if we preempt him (Mendoza). We are obliged to submit to the authority of the DOTC secretary.”

(For the full story, click Posted in News, Philippines oil spill, Rants | Leave a Comment »

Manual cleanup of oil sludge ordered stopped

September 12, 2006

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
Inquirer

ILOILO CITY – The Guimaras provincial government on Tuesday ordered a halt to the manual cleanup of oil sludge in coastal villages hit by the Visayas oil spill due to a lack of the specialized protective gear for workers required by the Department of Health (DoH).

Nueva Valencia Mayor Diosdado Gonzaga said Guimaras Governor JC Rahman Nava ordered 1,459 residents from 11 villages to stop doing cleanup work until Petron Corporation could provide the correct protective gear.

In a September 6 advisory, the DoH said workers should use full-face masks with air-purifying respirators, chemical-resistant clothing, including coveralls, gloves and steel-toed boots with boot covers.

At present, workers only use regular masks, rubber boots and gloves.

The DoH test results showed very high levels of toxins, particularly hydrogen sulfide, in the affected villages. Nueva Valencia is the hardest hit of four towns affected by the oil spill triggered by the August 11 sinking of the M/T Solar I, which was chartered by Petron.

(Click Manual cleanup, Sept. 12, 2006.)

—————————————————————————————–

OBVIOUSLY Petron just doesn’t to spend more. After all, it’s only the little people’s lives who will be affected right? Let’s see Nick Alcantara go down there and clean up the sludge manually. Hey, another bright PR idea! (Something obviously the half-wit PR consultants of Petron have yet to think of!) Won’t that get Petron on the front pages with what its PR calls a “happy story”!

Seriously, instead of paying for protective clothing, Petron’s bright boys thought of printing yellow ‘Ligtas Guimaras’ T-shirts instead so their company logo could be advertised. Cheap is not even what I would call it. Apparently the Petron bright boys are more into political PR than real business with a social responsibility PR, to think of something as half-assed as that. Frigging…AMATEURS!

Paging Nick Alcantara! Why don’t you use that P80 million PR war chest to buy your underpaid and sick workers some honest-to-goodness protective gear, huh?

Guimaras wouldn’t be seeing whale sharks for a while

September 12, 2006

By RYAN B. LACHICA
Panay News

BACOLOD City – Guimaras would not be seeing whale sharks or “butanting” within its territorial waters for years, according to a marine life expert.

Ruel Almonida, Aquaculturist II of the Negros Occidental Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, said Guimaras Strait where MT Solar 1 sank is a grazing area of whale sharks. But because of the oil spill, the sea creatures are sure to stay away from it for a while.

Almonida said that in previous years, they have apprehended several individuals hunting whale sharks in the area.

Whale sharks endangered species. Its capture is prohibited.

Almonida said fishes and sea mammals like dolphins and whales swim away when they sense something different in their environment.

The whale sharks would probably just stay in the Sulu Sea, he added.

The whale shark is a gentle and slow filter feeding shark which is the largest living shark (and fish) species. It lives in tropical and warm oceans. The species is believed to have originated about 60 million years ago.

The species was first identified in April 1828, following the harpooning of a 4.6 meter (15 feet) specimen in Table Bay, South Africa. It was described by Andrew Smith, a military doctor associated with British troops stationed in Cape Town, the year following the capture. He proceeded to publish a more detailed description of the species in 1849.

The name “whale shark” comes from the fish’s large size; that is, a shark as large as a whale.

The whale shark inhabits the world’s tropical and warm-temperate oceans. While thought to be primarily pelagic, seasonal feeding aggregations of the sharks occur at several coastal sites like Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia as well as Pemba, Útila, Honduras, Donsol, Philippines, and Zanzibar on the coast of East Africa.

The whale shark is solitary and rarely seen in groups unless feeding at locations with abundance of food.

When it is explained that most sharks are not dangerous to humans, this species is used as the leading example. Divers and snorkelers can swim around the giant fish without any problems, apart from the risk of being hit by the shark’s large and muscular tail fin.

Marina says Solar I load ‘within limits’

September 12, 2006

•Indictment sought for 9 in oil spill case

By Leila Salaverria
and Armand Nocum
Inquirer

THE Maritime Industry Authority on Monday defended the amount of load it allowed the Solar I tanker to carry, saying that it was still “within allowable limits.”

But a member of the Special Board of Marine Inquiry (SBMI) said allowing the Solar I to carry a larger load affected its stability and contributed to its sinking on August 11.

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice panel investigating the Guimaras oil spill yesterday recommended the indictment of the nine Filipino and Japanese incorporators of the company that owns the MT Solar I for possible violation of the Anti-Dummy Law.

In a 10-page “partial report” released yesterday, the panel directed the National Bureau of Investigation to look into the Sunshine Maritime Development Corp. (SMDC), including background checks on the financial capacity of the Filipino shareholders to put up the company’s P5.5-million paid-up capital.

The panel, made up of DoJ Undersecretaries Ernesto Pineda, Macabangkit Lanto and Fidel Exconde, discovered that P4 million of the company’s paid-up capital was put up by the Japanese shareholders, a fact that could be in violation of the law.

SMDC, incorporated on February 22, 2002, is engaged in a nationalized industry reserved for Filipino citizens or corporations with at least 60 percent Filipino ownership.

In a hearing last Friday, Hiroyasu Yamaguchi, the Japanese chair of the board and treasurer of SMDC, claimed he divested his shares in Jan. 1.

The sinking of the tanker, which was carrying 2.1 million liters of oil, triggered one of the worst oil spills in the country, which continues to affect Guimaras and Iloilo provinces.

Marina naval architect Carlos Odi testified on Monday that the tanker’s agency-approved freeboard, which refers to the distance between the main deck of the vessel and the waterline, was within allowed limits.

He acknowledged the freeboard also allowed the tanker to carry a larger load and, thus, earn more revenue.

But the Marina-approved freeboard was lower than that specified by the private classification society Bureau Veritas, which inspected the tanker.

Asked during hearing what he thought was the effect of adding more cargo onboard the Solar I, Odi answered: “I think that is the revenue.”

He said that with the Marina-approved freeboard, the tanker could have a 98 percent load, whereas with the Bureau Veritas freeboard, the load was only 70 percent.

(For the full stories, click Marina and Indictment, Sept. 12, 2006.)

Guimaras oil spill continues to bother public

September 12, 2006

THE SOUTHERN BEAT By Rolly Espina
The Philippine Star 09/12/2006

A CALAMITY of the magnitude of the Guimaras oil spill can’t simply be ignored. It continues to haunt the public and will do so for weeks or months to come, until a solution is found on what to do with the 1.9 million liters still inside the sunken oil tanker.

Lorenzo Tan of World Wide Fund-Philippines warned Friday that the “culprits” face suits from Guimaras, Palawan, and Negros Occidental as well as Mindanao if the bunker fuel on board MT Solar 1 is not removed soon.

Tan said satellite photos show that fresh oil was seen still oozing out of the sunken tanker, although in smaller quantities than the previous weeks.

Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Maranon had already written President Arroyo and Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, head of the National Disaster Coordinating Center, about the unconditional demand of Negros Occidental to speed up the removal of the sunken tanker.

Jose Campos, Petron’s vice president for marketing, estimated that 1.8 to 1.9 million liters of Solar I’s total cargo of 2.19 million liters are still at the bottom of the sea.

Maranon pointed out that for as long as the oil remains under water, Negrenses cannot rest. If Negros does not get an assurance of a timetable and an action plan on the removal of the bunker fuel in two days, the province will make more noise.

Negros Occidental, he added, will assist Guimaras in filling suits against the “culprits.”

Both the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlalawigan and the Sangguniang Panglunsod had approved resolutions demanding the removal of the oil.

However, Tan himself admitted that only oil sheen was leaking from the sunken tanker. Presidential Assistant for Western Visayas Rafael Coscoluela said the Japanese vessel Shinsei Maru had reduced the leak to only about five liters per hour.

Damage to coral reefs minimal

But there was also good news. Amid the pronouncements of many quarters against the oil spill’s damage to corals, a team of scientists from Silliman University found that Guimaras’ 47,000 hectares of hard coral were spared.

That was the good news, according to Dr. Angel Alcala, director of the Silliman University’s Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management.

Alcala said that it must have been high tide when the oil reached the shore.

A former Environment secretary, Alcala is the acknowledged authority on coral reefs and marine environment.

He reported that Silliman University scientists undertook 15 coastal and underwater studies. But in a separate article, Alcala said that at the Taklong Reserve of the UP Visayas, fish catch is down to less than 10 kilograms per 1,000 square meters, which is far below the 68 to 94 kilograms per 1,000 square meters catch in Dauin in the Bohol Sea.

The southern end of Guimaras, Alcala added, could generate five tons of fish per square kilometers.

He urged continuous monitoring because there is still a possibility that the remaining oil spill will sink and stay underneath the sea. He warned that oil, combined with mineral particles in the water column, may sink down to the reef.

Although he came up with an optimistic report about the impact of the oil spill on Guimaras’ corals, Alcala was less cheerful on its impact on mangroves.

“All mangrove seedlings are doomed,” he said.

Mangroves, however, can be replaced next year once the mature mangroves produce another set of seedlings. But because the mature mangroves had undergone a lot of stress, this might affect their natural cycle and thus may not bear seedlings next year.

There was also a warning against the use of oil spill dispersants exotic bacteria in eliminating the oil in the mangroves. He said it is better to leave the affected areas of mangroves alone instead of spraying dispersants and using bacteria. He urged that tidal flushing in mangrove areas be allowed to hasten the decomposition of oil.

Another marine biologist urged Petron to carry out a long-term rehabilitation program, particularly in mangrove and seagrass areas.

Dr. Lemuel Aragones, UP Marine Sciences Institute, observed that there is no honest-to-goodness program yet to address the medium and long-term effects of the oil spill.

He admitted the considerable impact on mangrove and seagrass areas and the imperative need for a concrete program to rehabilitate them.

Meanwhile, the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund started educating the public on how to apply for the $135-million grant to cover pollution damage, clean up cost, and economic losses from the Solar I oil spill.

Local government units and private organizations in Negros Occidental can also avail of the compensation fund, pointing out that they had also invested money and used other resources to anticipate the oil spill threat.

Provincial Disaster Management team head Vicfran Defante said the assurance came during a briefing by Petron and IOPC representatives Joe Nicholas, Patric Joseph and the Shipowners Protection Ltd. represented by David Rees in Iloilo City over the weekend.

The latest report — oil sheen, about the size of 25-centavo coins, reached Barangay Patic in Pulupanda, according to Defante. This was the first solid indication that the oil spill had reached Negros Occidental’s shores.

(For the rest of the column, click Rolly, Sept. 12, 2006.)

BMI evidence shows oil pilferage cause of Solar I sinking

September 12, 2006

By Edu Punay
The Philippine Star 09/12/2006

A HOLE in the hull of the tanker Solar I, which investigators believe was used for pilfering oil from its cargo hold, might have caused its sinking and resulted in the Philippines’ worst oil spill.

Commodore Benjamin Mata, vice chairman of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)’s Special Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI), said they are now looking into that theory after finding a triangular opening in the hull during an underwater survey of the wreck by a Japanese submersible.

Mata said BMI members also found marks just below the opening, “which indicate there must have been a barge or small boat that came alongside the vessel.”

“One of our objectives is to determine if there was really oil pilferage. The company, the captain and crew have all denied doing this practice and yet we see from the video footage taken in the survey that there are some (pieces of) evidence of ships coming alongside the Solar I. This is what we are looking for,” Mata told reporters on the last day of hearings.

The BMI is also looking at other possible angles after the Japanese submersible had also found that one of Solar I’s storage tanks was empty.

“It could be the bunker oil in this tank, which had been discharged and transferred to another vessel. These are all guesses we are making but they are something to ponder upon,” Mata stressed.

The BMI is expected to submit its findings today following a two-week inquiry.

(For the full story, click Pilferage, Sept. 12, 2006.)

Tankers’ group explains fate of marine oil spills

September 12, 2006

THE International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) Limited bares the fate of oil spills at sea.

The ITOPF is a non-profit organization with 90 percent of its income coming from subscription paid by P&I insurers on behalf of the ship owner members.

It has a membership of over 4,800 tanker owners and bareboat charterers that operate about 8,650 tankers, barges, and combination carriers with a total gross tonnage of about 240 million GT.

This volume represents all the world’s tonnage of bulk oil, chemical and gas carrier.

ITOPF was established in 1968 and had evolved into a primary source of technical advice, expertise and information on effective response to ship-source pollution including oil spills at sea.

It had also specialization on oil clean-up operations, and assessment of technical merits of claims for compensation at the time of a spill.

Their services are free for all members of the organization. They were able to publish a Handbook that spells out the consequence of oil spill at sea, oil spill clean-up technique and assessment of cost for damages due to cleanup.

(For the rest of the piece, Tankers group PR, Sept. 12, 2006.)

Fish sales in Oton down 90%

September 12, 2006

By Ruby P. Silubrico

OTON Mayor Carina Flores Monday said fishermen’s sales on various fish have declined to almost 90 percent since the MT Solar I oil spill started on August 11.

To show that fish in Oton are still safe to eat, fish vendors, local government officials headed by Flores, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Chief Drucila Ong and Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center headed by Joseph Toledo, conducted a “boodle fight” inside the Oton public market.

Flores said the activity was one way of showing the public that fish are still good for eating and that they were not affected by the oil slick.

“Several fish vendors approached and told us that their sales were really affected by this oil spill in Guimaras, that’s why we came up this activity. We have already asked several persons who can somehow help us because our sales have declined by 90 percent,” Flores said.

(For the full story, click Oton, Sept. 12, 2006.)

267 city fisherfolk seek assistance amid oil spill threat

September 12, 2006

By Lory Ann B. Bilbao

ILOILO City’s 267 registered fisherfolk coming from six oil sheen affected coastal villages, asked for “immediate assistance” to alleviate their “economic displacements.”

Iloilo City Disaster Management Office OIC Jose G. Papa represented the fishers’ request in a letter addressed to Mayor Jerry P. Treñas Friday last week.

The letter stated that out of the 267 registered fishermen affected, 86 were living in Barangay Sto. Niño Sur; 56 in Sto. Niño Norte; 19 in Calaparan – all villages of Arevalo District; 14 were in Barangay San Juan and 57 in Calumpang, Molo District and; 35 in Bito-on, Jaro District.

The village chiefs reported the number and requested Papa to write to the proper agencies.

(For the full story, click Sunstar, Sept. 12, 2006.)