Oil spill claims frenzy a cover-up?

By Florence F. Hibionada
The News Today,
April 26, 2007

CHARGES and counter-charges continue to hound the latest stretch of distribution of oil spill compensation to thousands of victims in the Province of Guimaras.

With claimants now subject of scrutiny from camps of candidates vying the coveted seats here, The News Today (TNT) gathered that frustration and confusion has set in with the officials of the International Oil Petroleum Compensation (IOPC) Fund and both National and Regional Disaster Coordinating Councils.

In a report, TNT learned of the latest communication reportedly sent to Governor Rahman Nava and associates behind the multi-million disaster fund for the island-province’s rehabilitation.

Account the donations both in kind and cash, the governor was purportedly reminded anew amidst yet to be resolved and unaccounted assistance.

In fact, a deadline has been given to Nava even as more questions were raised on the discovery of private bank accounts that served as conduit of cash donations from former Guimaras residents who have now migrated abroad.

Radio reports mentioned at least four of said bank accounts now subject of further verification and validation which was said to have been long brought to the attention of the National Disaster Coordinating Council and counterparts in the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council.

Meantime, claims of thousands in the hardest hit Guimaras town await the ‘mercy’ of the IOPC and local officials with efforts linked to the Nava camp to suspend the check distribution.

“Kung may ginadudahan sila nga indi husto nga claim, nga-a kami iya nga madugay na nag-antus kag padayon nga naga-antus madalahig diri? Maluoy man si gob tani sa amon. Kung halos pa lang mahalin na lang kami sa Guimaras kay sobra na gid nga pamulitika ila. Asta san-o pa kami mahulat sang bulig nga ila man ginpasalig sa amon? (If they have questions on the veracity of the other claims, why let us who has long suffered and continue to suffer be dragged here? The governor should have pity on us. If only we could, we will leave Guimaras because of too much politics. Until when are we going to wait for the help that they have also promised us?)” a woman claimant in a radio interview lamented.

To recall, a donor’s forum was also held in Guimaras where IOPC, national and top regional government officials came and converged with key players from the international community to come up with a more efficient set-up to handle the donations. Plans were also drawn to guide the province on projects and programs best suited for the faster rehabilitation of Guimaras and the upliftment and re-empowerment of the locals especially those heavily hit by the oil spill.

Nava in a recent candidates’ forum in one broadcast network assured that all donations are duly listed and accounted as he tried to make a rundown of the assistance.

Nava also admitted that there were indeed donations made in his name but he had it transferred to the care of the provincial government.

IOPC exec bewails political meddling in oil spill claims

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
The News Today
April 26, 2007

AFTER being ravaged by millions of liters of bunker fuel spilled on their shores, residents of Guimaras Island are now caught in the bitter wrangling of politicians over the payment of pollution compensation claims.

The International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Fund has lamented how the claims for compensation for damages incurred from the Petron oil spill has been derailed by politics.

“…It is sad that the incident is being used by politicians this way. It is very sad that other people are exploiting the victims in various ways,” said IOPC deputy director and technical adviser Joe Nichols.

The IOPC is a London-based intergovernmental agency that indemnifies losses resulting from oil spills.

While he did not point out who was responsible, Nichols pointed to the deluge of “spurious” claimants that have swamped the IOPC.

“Unfortunately, this whole incident got wrapped in the political situation and the Fund is being used as a political football match, which is very sad,” said Nichols in an interview.

The IOPC has received 102,600 claim forms for the second batch of claimants from Guimaras.

Nichols said they were shocked by the number of additional claimants, which added with the first batch of claimants, accounted to 80 percent of the island’s total population of 154,000. “It is simply impossible for that number of people to be directly affected by pollution.”

Nichols said they believe they have compensated almost all of those affected by the oil spill in the fisheries sector.

“We think that only few (remain to be paid)… maybe tens rather than hundreds and certainly not thousands,” he said.

Nichols said they do not want to be involved in the political squabble in Guimaras.

“We will not be drawn into it. The Fund is not a political organization. We are not interested in politics,” said Nichols.

Guimaras Gov. JC Rahman Nava (Kampi) who is in third and last term is running against re-electionist Rep. Edgar Espinosa (Lakas CMD).

Both officials have blamed each other for the deluge of claimants.

Nava claimed it was Espinosa’s camp that spread the “misinformation” that anyone could file a claim resulting to the deluge of claimants.

“They have not gone through the established process that’s why there’s chaos,” said Nava.

He said the claims that were processed by Espinosa’s camp included the congressman’s driver, secretary and relatives.

When reached for comment, Espinosa did not deny that his relatives and employees were among the claimants.

“I did not know that they filed the claims. I have instructed them to withdraw it,” Espinosa said in a telephone interview.

Espinosa in turn accused Nava of including employees at the provincial capitol and those belonging to the governor’s political camp among the claimants.

Espinosa’s consultant Gerry Yucon cited the case of Vice Mayor Johhny Gajo of San Lorenzo town who was among the claimants.

But Nava said Gajo is a legitimate claimant because the vice mayor is a fishing boat owner.

Nava said they could not do anything with the number of claimants because it has already been submitted to the IOPC. “It’s up to them to verify it.”

Nichols said that before the payments were made, they had agreed that the claim forms will be processed and verified in four stages and will be signed by the barangay captain, local fisheries and agriculture officer, municipal mayor and the governor.

But he said they subsequently discovered that Espinosa was also adding his signature to the claim forms.

“The Fund is not in a position to turn away anybody’s claim. We had an original agreement that most of the claims will be verified by Governor Nava but we couldn’t stop anybody else from joining in the verification process,” said Nichols.

He said that while the IOPC normally would assess and verify the claims individually, they agreed to adopt the set-up with the help of the local government units because of the need to compensate the victims quickly.

“We knew that there were some risks that some people would be compensated (even if) they shouldn’t be compensated. We considered it an acceptable risk in the interest that people would get paid quickly,” said Nichols.

He said it would take years to verify the 102,600 claims. “But I believe most of them will be rejected because they are not admissible.”

He said the second batch of claim forms were incomplete, lacking information or were submitted by minors. The IOPC has a policy of not compensating minors because they were advised that it is illegal for minors to be involved in fishing.

“It is very, very sad that to some extent it is being abused in this way. I do not know who’s responsible for encouraging people this way to (file) claims,” said Nichols.

Guimaras village head confirms fake claims

Francis Allan L. Angelo
2007-04-24
The Daily Guardian

A VILLAGE head of one of the oil spill hit villages in Guimaras confirmed that some claimants were not actual residents of their barangay, making their damage claims filed with the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Funds spurious.

Punong Barangay Ofelia Alonzo of Sabang, in the municipality of Sibunag said some claimants who declared that they are residents of the said village actually hail from other places not affected by the August 11, 2006 M/T Solar 1 oil spill.

In an interview with RMN-Iloilo anchorman Novi Guazo last night, Alonzo said Salvacion Balista, Elemar Nabos, Enrico Amoroso, Lory Madrigalejo, Oliver Espinosa and Leo Ian Espinosa are not from their barangay.

Balista, Nabos, Amoroso and Madrigalejo are believed to be employees of Guimaras Rep. Edgar Epinosa while Oliver and Leo Ian are his nephews.

Alonzo said the damage claims of the said persons did not pass through her office to verify if they are indeed Sabang residents.

The papers of the subject persons also did not get approval of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Council (Farmc).

Alonzo pointed to Sabang Kagawad Nenet Herrera as the one who signed the claims of Balista and others.

The village head said a certain Gerry Yucon and Ramil Lutero, believed to be supporters of Espinosa, helped process the alleged fake claims.

“Under the IOPC arrangement, the verification of the claims will pass through the barangay and Farmc, the municipal government and provincial government. But Espinosa’s group also made their own arrangement which is not allowed,” Alonzo said.

Alonzo’s statement backs the revelation of IOPC deputy director/technical adviser Joe Nichols that “something has gone seriously wrong in the verification process set up in the barangay, municipal and provincial levels.”

Espinosa was still unavailable for comment as of presstime.

The alleged irregularities in the oil spill claims have delayed the payment of the second batch of claims which total 102,600.

The IOPC last year paid roughly P118.5 million to 11,225 Guimaras residents who belong to the first batch.

In his letter to Guimaras Governor JC Rahman Nava, Nichols said that of the 102,600 pending claims, 37,000 have incomplete forms and 1,700 claimants were below 18 years old.

The IPOC was also alarmed by the total number of residents seeking compensation – 113,825 claimants – which accounts for 80 percent of Guimaras population.

“The Club and Fund find it hard to accept that such a high proportion of the population in Guimaras Island could have suffered pollution damage as defined in the 1992 Civil Liability Convention and the 1992 Fund Convention,” Nichols said.

Nichols said it would take considerable time to scrutinize the pending claims.

Guimaras chief: Oil spill claims verification is IOPC’s job

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
The News Today, April 24, 2007

Guimaras Governor JC Rahman Nava has washed his hands off the recent controversy involving the second batch of oil spill claims which the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) dubbed as “incredulous.”

When reached for comment by mobile phone yesterday, Nava said the process for submission and verification of claims has not been followed.

“It’s up to the IOPC to verify the claims because we could not control the number of claimants anymore,” said Nava.

He blamed the deluge of claimants to “misinformation”. He did not elaborate.

Earlier, the IOPC through its Deputy Director and Technical Adviser Joe Nichols wrote Governor Nava expressing alarm over the large number of claimants asking for compensation for damages brought by the massive oil spill in Guimaras.

The IOPC, a London-based intergovernmental agency that indemnifies losses resulting from oil spills, finds the number of the second batch of claimants “incredulous.”

“The (Shipowners’ Club) and the Fund are somewhat alarmed at the number of claims forms included in the second batch, which total 102,600,” said Nichols in his letter to Nava dated March 30.

Nichols said that this number combined with around 11,400 claimants already paid in the first batch, comprised 80 percent of the total population of Guimaras Island (154,000).

“The Club and the Fund find it hard to accept that such a proportion of the population of Guimaras Island could have suffered pollution damage as defined in the 1992 Civil Liability Convention and 1992 Fund Convention,” said Nichols.

The IOPC also found irregularities in the claims.

Nichols said that while they have not completed the initial examination of all the 102,600 forms, they have identified nearly 37,000 incomplete forms. They also discovered that 1,700 forms were submitted by people under 18 years old.

“This suggests that something has gone seriously wrong in the verification process set up in the barangay, municipal and provincial levels,” said Nichols.

The IOPC last year paid around P118.5 million to more than 11,000 residents of Guimaras Island whose livelihood were affected after the Solar I sank on Aug. 12 spilling 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel it was transporting for Petron from Bataan to Zamboanga. The victims each got around from P4,800 to P32,000.

Last month, it also paid P2,790,614 to 819 residents of coastal villages of Iloilo city who received checks ranging from P1,200 to P6,200.

The IOPC is currently paying around 11,000 claimants of Iloilo province amounting to a total of P57 million.

The IOPC will be processing and paying the second batch of claimants after the Iloilo claimants have been paid.

But Nichols said the payment of more Guimaras claimants will be delayed because of the number of claims submitted.

“As a result of the unexpected number of claims in the second batch, the Club and the Fund have no alternative but to scrutinize each claim form in detail and to take action to ensure that the claimants have legitimate claims that are admissible for compensation under the international conventions,” said Nichols.

OIL SPILL SCAM 2

Irregularities delay release of claims

By Francis Allan L. Angelo
The Daily Guardian
2007-04-23

ASIDE from legitimate fisherfolk in Guimaras, employees and relatives of a politician in the island province got a windfall from the M/T Solar I oil spill August 2006.

And these anomalies have delayed the release of the second batch of damage claims by Guimaras folks, according to the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Funds.

Joe Nichols, IOPC deputy director/technical adviser, confirmed they are investigating the alleged irregularities before releasing the compensation of the remaining 102,600 claimants.

The IOPC is an international organization of states, petroleum companies and tanker owners providing compensation for oil pollution damage resulting from spills of persistent oil from tankers.

The organization is governed by the 1992 Civil Liability Convention and the 1992 Fund Convention.

Last year, the IOPC paid some US$2.4 million (roughly P118.5 million) to 11,225 Guimaras residents. The total amount set aside for the Guimaras residents alone was $330 million, according to the IOPCF website.

The fund also paid over P2 million to affected residents from Iloilo City coastal barangays.

After Holy Week, a total of 11,200 fishermen from the towns of Guimbal in southern Iloilo and Barotac Nuevo, Ajuy and Concepcion in northern Iloilo were compensated, with amounts ranging from P630 to P28,000.

Several Guimaras residents who have yet to receive their claims have been complaining of the delay despite assurances that they will be paid early this year.

In an email to RMN-Iloilo, a copy of which was furnished to The Daily Guardian, Nichols said they discovered anomalies in the documents of some claimants who already received their money and those who are still pending.

Nichols said that of the 102,600 pending claims, 37 have incomplete forms while 1,700 claimants were below 18 years old.

The IOPC was also alarmed by the number of claimants as the total figure – 113,825 applicants – accounts for 80 percent of Guimaras population.

Guimaras has 141,450 residents, according to the 2000 census of the National Statistics Office.

MAID AND DRIVER

The most glaring anomaly the IOPC discovered is that some of the claimants were not actual residents of towns severely affected by the oil spill.

Based on the National Disaster Coordinating Council, the town of Nueva Valencia was hit worst by the spill while Sibunag, San Lorenzo, Buevanista and Jordan were partially affected.

Adding twist to the anomaly is that some of the claimants who already received compensation were relatives and employees of Guimaras Rep. Edgar Espinosa.

The IOPC executive cited a certain Salvacion Balista who claimed to be a shell gatherer from Brgy. Sabang, Sibunag and received P4,488 in damages.

But when Balista’s documents were scrutinized, it was found out that Balista was actually from Brgy. Alaguisoc, Jordan. Her community tax certificate (cedula), which is one of the attachments to her claims, was issued in Iloilo City.

In a candidates’ debate over Bombo Radyo April 14, Espinosa admitted that Balista worked as secretary for his group Uswag Guimaras.

Another claimant with questionable credential was Elenar Nabos who received P4,488. Just like Balista, Nabos claimed that he is a resident of Brgy. Sabang but his actual address was at Brgy. Alaguisoc.

It was also learned that Nabos works in the district office of Espinosa.

Espinosa’s driver, Enrico Amoroso received P10,824 while his maid Lory Madregallo got P4,488.

Two of the Guimaras representative’s nephews also got a windfall from the oil spill tragedy.

Oliver Espinosa claimed P5,622 while Ian Oliver Espinosa, who claimed to be a fish vendor from Brgy. Rizal, Jordan, got a whopping P28,596.

Espinosa said he already told his relatives and employees to return the money.

Politics in tragedy

Apparently, politics played a role in the controversy as both Espinosa and Guimaras Governor JC Rahman Nava, who are both running for congressman, made separate assessments of the claimants.

The IOPC initially involved the barangay, municipal and provincial governments to process the claims.

But Espinosa reportedly made his own move to accommodate claimants identified with his group.

Nichols said something went wrong with the verification at the barangay, town and provincial levels because of the dual assessment setup.

The IOPC official said they have no choice but to scrutinize all claimants “which will take considerable amount of time.”

Nichols said they are studying how to investigate all the claims pending with their office.

Guimaras Governor JC Rahman Nava confirmed the IOPC’s discovery that 10 percent of the initial 11,300 claimants were spurious.

Short films on Guimaras oil spill at UP Diliman

THE former UP Film Center (now UP Film Institute) mounts its own celebration for environmental awareness with a distinct program of films for the last two weekends of April. The main highlight will feature a marathon of screenings for Guimaras – Short Films from the Oil Spill on April 20 and April 21 at 7 p.m.

Featured are the works by independent filmmakers all tackling the effects of the oil spill on the environment and the lives of the people on Guimaras island.

Among the directors behind the acclaimed shorts are Drei Boquiren, Jeck Cogama, Khavn de la Cruz, Wilfred Allen Galila, Rox Lee, Raya Martin, Oscar Nava, Seymour Barros Sanchez, Ann Angala-Shy, Victor Louie Villanueva, JP Carpio, Emman de la Cruz, Kidlat de Guia, Milo Alto Paz, Kidlat Tahimik and Paolo Villaluna.

The much awaited UP Film Institute showcase of Guimaras – Short Films from the Oil Spill will be preceded on April 20 by I Dreamed of Africa from director Hugh Hudson of Chariots of Fire fame and on April 21 by the legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams. (The News Today, April 18, 2007)

Customs to help enforce rules reducing crude spill risks

By VG Cabuag
Reporter, BusinessMirror
April 17, 2007

THE Bureau of Customs will start monitoring vessels, particularly those required to comply with the government’s double hull policy which will be implemented next April.

Rogel Gatchalian, chief of the custom’s Run After Tax Smugglers program, told reporters Thursday that the agency has already written the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), asking the shipping regulator all needed information regarding the country’s ships.

Besides covering import entries and internal revenue declarations, documents include the deed of sale, agreements pertaining to vessel importation of consignees and/or importers.

The letter also sought preliminary computation of market value of the ships, Gatchalian said.

Unlike land transportation in which the customs bureau has a motor vehicle importation compliance unit, shipping vessels have no import windows.

He explained that since the government would not allow tankers to be used for transporting black oil on domestic waters, companies have no choice but to acquire new ships abroad.

Earlier, industry representatives said it converting old tankers to double-hull would be more expensive than buying new ones.

A double-hull, double-bottom tanker with a capacity of six thousand tons costs between $13.5 million to $15 million and is mostly constructed in other countries since local shipyards have no capacity.

Meanwhile, operators will be forced to comply with the new regulations since petroleum firms, such as Petron Corp. and Pilipinas Shell—which both have refineries in the country—want the program implemented by next year.

Petroleum companies belong to an international organization, which sets minimum standards for transporting oil.

Early this year, Marina has issued memorandum circular 2007 001, which was drafted to comply with the International Maritime Organization’s new standard for ocean-going vessels.

The said international guidelines classified tankers into three categories. The first covers oil tankers, which can carry more than 20,000 tons of crude oil, fuel oil, heavy diesel oil or lubricating oil and more than 30,000 tons of other oils. While the second category includes oil tankers which can carry 5,000 tons of oil, the third consists of carriers which can accommodate less than 5,000 tons of oil.

The first two categories, carrying heavy grade oil shall be double-hulled, while category three oil tankers carrying heavy grade oil should be fitted with both double-bottom tank and wing tank.

Sanctions and penalties for violators include immediate suspension of safety certificates of tankers for 60 days, delisting form the Philippine registry, revocation of the vessel’s authority to operate, and a penalty of P50,000 for each day of operation.

Inventory losses cut Petron’s net income

PETRON Corp. said its earnings last year fell slightly due to inventory losses arising from a drop in petroleum prices.

The Philippines’ largest oil refiner said that profits hit P6.02 billion, lower than the P6.05-billion net income registered in 2005.

The lower net income was due to inventory losses of about P1.6 billion from the “sudden and steep” drop in crude and finished product prices in the latter half of last year.

This was, however, offset by foreign-exchange gains with the strengthening of the peso and improvements in operating efficiencies.

Petron’s revenues, however, reached P211.72 billion last year, or a 10.5-percent increase from P191.48 billion in 2005.

While high prices resulted in the contraction in domestic demand by 7.5 percent, Petron’s domestic sales fell 5.8 percent to 41.17 million barrels.

Petron said that an increase in export volumes, however, made up for the domestic contraction, as sales abroad rose 37 percent to 10.91 million barrels. Overall, sales volume was nearly flat, growing 1 percent to 52.08 million barrels.

“In spite of a difficult and highly competitive business environment, we were able to maintain our profitability while retaining our focus to move our major programs forward,” Virginia A. Ruivivar, Petron public affairs manager, said.

Last year the company expanded its revenue base by tapping nontraditional markets including the introduction of Petron-branded lubricants in Cambodia and Indonesia.

Petron also expanded its strategic partnership with Innospec, a global fuel additives supplier, with the construction of a $2.5-million fuel additives blending plant in Subic Bay. The plant will serve as a supply hub for Innospec’s customers in the Asia-Pacific region.

The company also reported that the construction of its PetroFCC project, under its $300-million Refinery Master Plan, is more than 50-percent complete and is expected to be on stream by the first quarter next year.

The PetroFCC will allow the company to produce more high-value white products and make it the only local producer of the petrochemical grade propylene. (Manila Times, April 9, 2007)

IOPC oil spill compensation scam exposed

•FAKE CLAIMS

By Francis Allan L. Angelo
The Daily Guardian
2007-04-09

THE tragedy called Solar 1 Oil Spill which hit the provinces of Guimaras and Iloilo has spawned a major scam involving fake claimants who received compensation from the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds.

Several claimants, who asked for anonymity out of fear for their lives, from Guimaras and some southern and central Iloilo towns alleged they were used by their provincial and municipal officials to file dubious claims with the IOPCF.

These sources said they were made to fill up the prescribed compensation forms and sign a special power of attorney (SPA) authorizing certain local government officials to process the claims with the IOPCF.

Once the claim is approved, the funds will be coursed through the mayors. But instead of giving the full amount being claimed, the mayor will only give half of the amount to the claimant.

Reports from Guimaras said the mayors or their representatives who processed the claims were entitled to cuts ranging from 10 to 50 percent per approved compensation.

Worse, claimants from inland areas, tricycle drives and even beauty parlor owners and workers got paid for damages caused by the oil spill.

The oil spill incident – triggered by the sinking of M/T Solar 1 loaded with more than 2 million liters of bunker fuel owned by Petron Corp. – affected mangroves, fishing grounds, seaweed farms and pristine beaches.

Consequently, thousands of Guimaras and Iloilo fisherfolks were displaced because of low fish catch and dangerous effects of the spilled oil.

The IOPCF is an international organization of states, petroleum companies and tanker owners providing compensation for oil pollution damage resulting from spills of persistent oil from tankers.

Last year, the IOPCF paid some US$2.4 million (roughly P118.5 million) to 11,225 Guimaras residents. The total amount set aside for the Guimaras residents alone was $330 million, according to the IOPCF website.

The fund also paid over P2 million to affected residents from Iloilo City coastal barangays.

After Holy Week, a total of 11,200 fishermen from the towns of Guimbal in southern Iloilo and Barotac Nuevo, Ajuy and Concepcion in northern Iloilo would be compensated, with amounts ranging from P630 to P28,000.

Last week, the Italian firm Sonsub concluded its oil retrieval operation on Solar 1 with only 9,000 liters of bunker oil recovered from the tanker.

Gov’t focuses now on Guimaras rehab

ILOILO City – A substantial release of the P867-million supplemental budget is now awaited to give impetus to the long-term rehabilitation of the once oil spill-affected island province of Guiumaras.

Secretary Rafael Coscolluela, Presidential adviser for Western Visayas, said the supplemental budget was based on the amount submitted by different line government agencies and the local government of Guimaras for the rehabilitation program.

The different line agencies are already implementing to some extent their own rehabilitation programs but “we look forward for the substantial release of funds, so we can move the program much faster,” Coscolluela said. (Panay News, April 9, 2007)

Related story here

Oil spill claimants in 8 Iloilo towns to get checks after Holy Week

By Florence F. Hibionada
The News Today,
April 4, 2007

A total of 838 claimants from Iloilo City recently received individual remuneration from the damage brought by the Guimaras oil spill here.

Claimants from eight other towns in the province, on the other hand, will get theirs after the Holy Week.

The claims as processed and approved by the International Oil Petroleum Compensation fund will be distributed in claimants from Ajuy, Concepcion, Miag-ao, Barotac Nuevo, Barotac Viejo, Dumangas, Banate and Oton.

Most number of claimants came from Ajuy with 3,511 approved from the 4,034 who filed.

Compensation was between P630 to P27,468 computed on the number of days lost or affected when the oil slick reached Iloilo shores.

Ajuy and Concepcion coastal barangays recorded the most number of days affected at 28 while all other Iloilo towns and the city noted 14 days each.

Total claims filed with the IOPC reached 12,245.

Victims get only P110M of $330M Guimaras compensation

2007-04-03
Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines – Only P110 million of the $330 million (P15.8 billion) in compensation has been released to victims of the Guimaras oil spill even as officials said the siphoning of the remaining oil off the sunken tanker provided “closure” to the disaster.

The P110 million from the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) covered only 11,000 fishermen in Guimaras province, which was hardest bit by the slick. Of these, 250 have not yet claimed their checks, said Carlos Tan, health safety and environment manager of Petron Corp.

“The total amount [for compensation] is $330 million, but of course, that does not necessarily mean that they [IOPC] are going to pay us $330 million,” he said.

Tan said oil spill victims must present a “viable and fair” claim before they could draw from the IOPC fund.

Petron chartered the M/T Solar I which sank in rough seas off Guimaras on August 11, 2006 while on its way to Zamboanga City. Loaded with an estimated two million liters of bunker fuel, the sinking triggered a massive oil spill in the central Philippines.

Only 9,000 liters of bunker fuel remained in the Solar I’s tanks when operations to siphon the remaining oil were undertaken recently.

After the Holy Week, Tan said 11,200 fishermen in Iloilo province would be compensated, with amounts ranging from P630 to P28,000.

“It depends upon the type of their livelihood. If they’re picking shellfish from the shoreline, of course they will have a low compensation. If you own a big ship with a crew of five or 10, of course you will get more,” Tan said.

Aside from damaging fishing grounds, the oil slick also affected resorts in the area.

“With the completion of the oil recovery operations from M/T solar I, this provides a sort of a closure…[It] will no longer pose a threat to further oil spills because it has been determined that there is no more oil underneath the ocean,” Office of Civil Defense Administrator Glen Rabonza said.

Rabonza said the P867-million supplemental budget for the rehabilitation of Guimaras and surrounding areas has been released.

Defense Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said there were no immediate plans of recovering the Soar I’s wreckage from the seabed unless this is required for further investigation into the disaster.

“That will entail additional money. If you look at the economics of it, it will be more expensive to float it than let it lie on the [sea] floor,” Ebdane said.

Oil firm to upgrade vessels, equipment

By Genalin D. Ducay
SunStar Bacolod
Tuesday, April 03, 2007

AFTER the successful oil recovery operation on the sunken motor tanker Solar 1, Petron Corporation vowed to upgrade their facilities to prevent another case of oil spill.

Carlos Tan, Health and Safety Environment (HSE) manager said Petron will replace their single hull tankers with double-hull and double bottom ship before the current year ends.

A double-hulled vessel is among the standards set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for vessels carrying oil in bulk.

“Last January, Petron also became an official member of the East Asia Response Limited (Earl),” Tan said.

Earl responds to oil spill cases 24 hours a day whole year round.

The National Government also assured to implement institutionalized measures to deter the occurrence of another oil spill.

Presidential adviser for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela said the government will review the oil spill contingency plans and order agencies such as the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to strictly enforce environment regulations.

Preparing the local government units is also part of the plan.

He admitted, though, that it takes two to three years for the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) to fully implement their programs, adding, “There are no instant solutions yet and I’m afraid.”

Another proposed plan is the rerouting of vessels carrying harmful chemicals and oil. This however is costly and needs time and money.

For their part, the Philippine Coast Guard has allocated P30 million for the acquisition of modern marine equipment.

They have also formulated disaster preparedness plans.

Fear of another spill in Visayan Sea raised

BY CARLA GOMEZ
Visayan Daily Star
April 3, 2007

THE oil on board the Solar 1 that sank off the coast of Guimaras has been removed but concern over future oil spills, especially in “particularly sensitive areas” like the Visayan Sea has been raised by the scientific community.

Rafael Coscolluela, Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas, said yesterday that the Visayan Sea, a passageway for vessels containing hazardous materials, including petroleum products, has been identified by the scientific community as home to particularly sensitive marine life areas.

Mark Phibbs, Sonsub Director for Special Operations, on Sunday announced that recovery ship Allied Shield had removed 9,000 liters of oil from the 10 tanks on board the Solar 1 and that no more oil was left in the sunken ship.

He also said that no oil was released into the environment during the retrieval operations.

Footage of the open hatches of all 10 tanks on board the Solar 1 were shown to the media yesterday as proof that they had been emptied.

The Allied Shield, a vessel of Sonsub, an Italian firm specializing in deepwater operations, was contracted by the Protection and Indemnity Club, insurer of the Solar 1, to retrieve the oil from a depth of 2,100 feet using Remotely Operated Vehicles.

Cost of the retrieval work had been estimated at $6 million but Phibbs said the amount would be less, since their work only lasted 21 days.

The ship had been carrying 2.1 million liters of Petron oil when it sank, the bulk of which is believed to have hit the coast of Guimaras while the rest dissipated while on the surface of the water, Coscolluela said.

Carlos Tan, Petron Health, Safety and Environment Manager, said the possibility that oil on board Solar 1 had been pilfered before it sank, has never been proven and they are leaving the matter to proper government authorities to address.

He also said that even before the retrieval operations their estimate of the spill based on satellite pictures was 1.6 million liters so the minimal amount recovered by the Allied shield did not come as a surprise.

Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon said the minimal amount of oil found on Solar 1 indicates that it could have been near empty when it sank.

“I thought scientists were involved in the decisions and they made us believe that there was a lot of oil, that is why we panicked, but it was good that Negros Occidental was given financial assistance,” he said.

VISAYAN SEA BAN

Meanwhile, Coscolluela said there have been calls to ban ships carrying sensitive cargo from particularly sensitive areas such as the Visayan Sea.

However, he said the Department of Foreign Affairs is needed in this endeavor as sea routes cannot be changed without consulting all other countries.

The increase in expense of shippers taking different and longer routes could also impact on the cost of oil and other goods, he said, that has to be considered.

It was noted that while retrieval of oil from the Solar 1 was going on another cargo vessel, Prem Ship, on March 27 while passing through Guimaras waters from Davao to Bacolod released oil into the waters causing a sheen 100 meters by three nautical miles long, PSG Commodore Arturo Olavario said.

However, by the time the Coast Guard reached the area to get samples of the sheen it no longer had any oil content after dissipating on the surface of the water leaving them with no evidence to press charges, he said.

Coscolluela said they are still looking at the possibility of other oil spills, that is why the National Disaster Coordination Council is working on strengthening the country’s oil pollution contingency plan that hopefully will be in place in two to three year’s time.

He said the country’s oil pollution contingency plan has been focused on containment and control at sea, but is weak in dealing with oil that lands on shore as in the case of the Solar 1 incident.

This, he said, is now being addressed.

The capability of the Marine Industry Authority and the Philippine Coast Guard to regulate vessels carrying hazardous cargo is also being addressed.

The PSG’s ability to immediately respond with proper equipment and vessels has also been raised, and disaster preparedness of areas vulnerable to spills also needs to be beefed up, he said.

The implementation of the requirement for ships carrying oil to have double bottoms and double hulls by 2008 is also being addressed, he said.

Meanwhile, of the P816 million allocated by the national government for the Guimaras oil spill clean up, only P200 million has been released so far, Coscolluela said.

The release of a little over P600 million is still being awaited so rehabilitation work can start in earnest, he said.

Of the amount P250 million is needed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, P210 million by the Guimaras provincial government, P130 million by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for rehabilitation work, he said. Coscolluela said he did not have any explanation as to why the money has not been released by the Department of Budget and Management.

Petron, the owner of the oil on board Solar 1, has also been actively involved in the clean-up and rehabilitation of affected areas in Guimaras, Tan said.

DSWD, Petron ink P3-M grant for livelihood programs for Guimaras

THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Petron Foundation recently inked a partnership agreement for the implementation of alternative livelihood programs for Guimarasnons affected by the oil spill incident.

Petron Foundation Executive Director Marilou Erni handed the check of P3-million to DSWD Field Office 6 OIC Regional Director Teresita S. Rosales March 30 during a roundtable discussion held at the Iloilo Grand Hotel here. The P3-million initial grant, Erni said, is part of the rehabilitation efforts especially for residents in Sibunag and Nueva Valencia, Guimaras.

“The Stage 1 of the oil spill cleanup on shorelines has now been completed through our Cash for Work program. But now, there is a need to focus our efforts in helping our displaced fisherfolks through alternative livelihood and rehabilitation activities,” Rosales said.

Under the agreement, DSWD will spearhead in the social preparation and community organizing aspect in coming up with livelihood projects, utilizing the Self-Employment Assistance-Kaunlaran (SEA-K) scheme. SEA-K is a community-based credit assistance program aimed to build the capability of the economically-active poor to pursue micro-entrepreneurial activities.

Rosales said at present, sustaining the seaweed farming in the municipality of Sibunag has been identified as alternative livelihood while in Nueva Valencia, geotextile production was proposed. She added that DSWD will closely coordinate with the Provincial Economic and Development Office (PEDO) of Guimaras under Engr. Ruben Corpus as to the viability of the proposed projects.

PEDO heads the economic cluster of rehabilitation activities for Guimaras.

During last Friday’s discussion, Jose Divinagracia of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Guimaras presented the concept of geotextile or the “coconet.” One reason for the proposal, he said, is the availability and abundance of coconut in Nueva Valencia.

“There is a huge demand of coconet in the world market and the country cannot meet such demand. Considering that there are so many coconut trees in Nueva Valencia, going into geotextile is a good option for fisherfolks,” said Divinagracia even as he cited this is the first time that line agencies of the government have converged together to come up with livelihood projects.

Rosales said that aside from the P3-million donation from Petron Foundation, DSWD is also awaiting the release of the P250-million supplemental budget for the rehabilitation of Guimaras.

In November 2006, Petron Foundation also signed a partnership agreement with DSWD, TESDA, DOST and DTI for the conduct of livelihood programs and capability-building and skills training for Guimarasnons under a P1.5-million funding. (ALJ, The Daily Guardian, April 3, 2007)

Time to run after culprits of oil spill – Palace adviser

David Israel Sinay
Inquirer Visayas Bureau
2007-04-03

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – With the remaining cargo recovered from the sunken oil tanker Solar I, the focus should shift to the identification of those responsible for the sinking of the vessel, a Malacañang official said.

Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela urged the Department of Justice (DoJ) and other government agencies to take action against those responsible for the oil spill.

Last year, the Board of Marine Inquiry created a special body to determine the circumstances around the sinking of M/T Solar 1, which was carrying 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel for Petron Corp. when it went down nine miles southwest of Guimaras Island on August 11, 2006 while on its way from Bataan to Zamboanga City. The tanker settled at a depth of 640 meters.

In a report submitted to the DoJ last February, the investigative body said that overloading, lapses and incompetence triggered the sinking of the vessel. It ordered the Maritime Industry Authority to file the appropriate administrative charges against Sunshine Maritime Development Corp. (SMDC), owner of the M/T Solar 1; Petron Corp., which chartered the vessel; and the ship’s captain, Norberto Aguro.

The special body concluded that the tanker was overloaded and that Aguro’s incompetence led him to commit a “disabling error of judgment” when he decided to brave the storm. Aguro, who is not a licensed oil tanker master, holds a license for the operation of a chemical tanker.

Also, the report said that the Solar I owner completely disregarded all regulations, policies and requirements for seaworthiness of the vessel while Petron Corp. was liable for overloading industrial fuel oil. However, the oil firm maintained that the cargo was within the vessel’s capacity.

The DoJ and the Senate conducted their own inquiries but it was not clear who would file the complaint or impose the penalties, Coscolluela said. He noted that the attention focused on the recovery operations and the rehabilitation of the coastal areas affected by the catastrophe.

If any government agencies violated regulations or failed to implement the regulations, then they should be held to account, Coscolluela said at a news conference on Monday.

Coscolluela said he will raise the issue during the meeting of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) after the Holy Week.

“We have to make sure something must come out of it, determine the guilty parties. It should not be forgotten. We have learned our lessons. It should be corrected,” he said.

Mark Phibbs, oil retrieval project specialist, said they retrieved 9,000 liters of bunker fuel from the sunken vessel.

Solve the oil mystery

MARK Phibbs, head of the Allied Shield team that conducted the retrieval of oil from the sunken tanker Solar I off Guimaras, declared yesterday that very little oil remains in the 10 tanks of the sunken oiler.

“As of today, we are finished and we can guarantee that there is no more oil left on Solar I,” declared Phibbs.

That supposedly allays apprehensions about the prospect of more oil spilling to the Guimaras Strait and put at ease the fears of environmentalists and scientists, including of course local officials.

The problem, however, is nobody can seem to explain the disappearance of an estimated 900,000 liters of oil in the holds of the sunken tanker.

Allied Shield is owned by SonSub, an Italian firm that specializes in deep water operations. It was contracted by the Protection and Indemnity Club, insurer of Solar I, to retrieve the oil from 2,100 feet in the Guimaras Strait.

Initially, some 150,000 liters of oil reportedly spilled from Solar I. And there was a tremendous outcry for the retrieval of the remaining oil before these could spill into the sea again.

What is intriguing was the report that the Philippine Coast Guard early on had started looking into reports that Solar I went down because there was another vessel, which was taking oil from it. But that was terminated shortly after.

Now, that possibility looms large because of the discovery of the reported disappearance of oil in the holds of the tanker.

Phibbs, himself, said as far as he and his team knows, the seals on the tanks were intact and there was no indication of tampering.

He declined to speculate whether or not there were cracks at the bottom of the tanks. “We could not see underneath because the wreck was deeply buried in the mud,” he added, but said there may be cracks below.

But that’s the mystery. Where did the 900,000 liters go? How did it just vanish into the air?

That’s a major mystery for the authorities to solve.

(The rest of the column at Phil. Star, April 3, 2007.)

Close monitoring of oil spill’s long-term impact urged

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
The News Today,
April 2, 2007

SCIENTISTS have stressed the importance of continuous and close monitoring of the long-term impact of the oil spill in Guimaras after it was confirmed that almost all of the total 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel cargo of Solar I was spilled.

The monitoring and researches would determine the impact of the bunker fuel on the affected habitat especially hundreds of hectares of contaminated mangroves, said Glenn Aguilar, University of the Philippines in the Visayas chancellor and head of the technical and scientific advisory group of the Task Force Solar I Oil Spill.

Aguilar said in a briefing Friday that strict monitoring is critical not only in assessing and addressing the impact in Guimaras but also in formulating protocols to respond to future oil spills.

Officials of the Task Force SOS have declared that almost all of the cargo of the sunken tanker has been spilled after minimal oil was recovered in the three-week operation undertaken by salvaging and recovery firm Sonsub.

Carlos Tan, Petron spokesperson for the oil spill incident, said less than 5,000 liters of bunker fuel have been recovered from the ten cargo tanks of the Solar I wreck, lying 639 meters underwater 9 miles south of the island-province of Guimaras.

The recovery operations ended yesterday and the demobilization of all equipment and personnel involved in the$6 million-operation will be completed this week.

“The threat to further spillage is gone,” said Glen Rabonza, executive officer of the National Disaster Coordinating Council.

Rabonza said agencies can now focus on the rehabilitation and restoration of damaged the environment.

Presidential Assistant for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela, head of the TF SOS, said stronger laws and rules are necessary for a more effective response to oil spills.

He said they would also work on defining protected sea lanes and routes which would keep away vessels especially those carrying hazardous material from sensitive areas.

There is also a need to institute disaster response preparedness programs to prepare villages especially near the coastline to respond to oil spills.

Coscolluela said a major concern in the rehabilitation efforts is the release of the bulk of the P867 million rehabilitation fund approved by Congress last year.

“We have yet to see substantial release of rehabilitation funds,” said Coscolluela.

Aguilar said scientists are also formulating an Environmental Sensitivity Index which would serve as a guide not only for Guimaras but for other areas. The index will define areas and habitat sensitive to oil spills and the science-based protocol to respond to any oil spill incidents.

Only 9,000 liters recovered from Solar I

• Confirms ‘worst oil spill in RP’ tag

(Photo from The Daily Guardian)

By Francis Allan L. Angelo
2007-04-02, The Daily Guardian

THE August 11, 2006 Solar oil spill in Guimaras may very well be the worst of its kind in the Philippines given the volume of bunker oil leaked into the sea.

This was the assessment of Secretary Rafael Coscolluela, presidential adviser for Western Visayas, after the Italian firm Sonsub concluded its oil retrieval operations on the sunken tanker Sunday.

Mark A.J. Phibbs, Sonsub’s ROV special projects chief, said they only recovered 9 cubic meters (roughly 9,000 liters) of bunker fuel from all 10 tanks of Solar 1.

Solar 1 was carrying 2.1 million liters of oil owned by Petron Corp. when it sank some 20 kilometers from the southern end of Guimaras.

The spill contaminated mangroves, fishing grounds and seaweed farms aside from displacing residents along the coastal barangays.

“The amount of recovered oil will confirm that this is the worst oil spill in the country in terms of volume. The figure shows that a lot was spilled into the sea. As to the damages, assessments are still ongoing,” Coscolluela said.

It took 21 days for the Sonsub crew on board AME Allied Shield to retrieve the remaining oil inside Solar 1.

Sonsub was hired by Protection and Indemnity Club and the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund after local government officials in Region 6 demanded for the recovery of the remaining oil.

Phibbs said they used gravity to retrieve the oil by introducing water into the Solar 1 tanks, forcing the bunker fuel out of the vents.

The Sonsub team used two ROVs (Remote Operated Vehicle) to inspect the ship and guide the drills and shuttle tubes used in the operation.

“We finished the retrieval operation Saturday evening after we drained all the oil in the remaining tanks. We were right on schedule. The recovered oil did not reach half of the 20,000-liter ISO tanks we used,” Phibbs said

The whole Sonsub crew, except for Phibbs, is on their way to back Singapore.

Phibbs said the whole operation cost some $6 million, “depending on the stipulations of the contract.”

Liability

But things may not be over yet for the Solar oil spill saga as no one has been held liable for the incident.

The Philippine Coast Guard’s Special Board of Marine Inquiry (SBMI) recently blamed Solar 1 owner Sunshine Maritime Development Corp. (SMDC) and tanker captain Norberto Aguro for the incident.

Based on the SBMI findings, Aguro and SMDC are administratively liable for the vessel’s sinking.

SMDC disregarded regulations, policies and requirements for the seaworthiness of its vessel, while Petron overloaded the vessel causing instability and rendering it unseaworthy, the SBMI said.

Petron, who contracted the tanker, is liable for overloading the vessel and rendering it unseaworthy, the SBMI said.

The board said the ship suffered from a “loss of reserve buoyancy” because it was overloaded by approximately 150 tons, as determined from the ship’s load line, or the free space a vessel must maintain for safety.

The board said the Solar 1’s load line was 700 millimeters (mm), down from 1,220mm.

The petroleum company debunked the SBMI findings saying the tanker’s load was well within its capacity.

Aguro’s lack of adequate training, a disabling error of judgment and a disabling lack of knowledge were cited to justify the charge that he was incompetent, the board said.

Even the Coast Guard and the Maritime Industry Authority were also blamed for the disaster.

Coscolluela said they still have to find out if charges will be filed against certain entities using the SBMI report.

“The SBMI has filed its report but we don’t know who will file the necessary actions. Maybe the DoJ can do it, but we don’t know as of now,” Coscolluela said.

Coscolluela said a multi-agency approach is needed to determine who should sue liable parties.

“The Departments of Justice, Environment and other concerned entities can get together and identify the necessary actions. The only problem is if there are other agencies that are also possible violators or committed lapses which led to the incident,” he added.

“Our main concern right now is the rehabilitation of the affected area. Of course we don’t want to forget everything. I will take this up in the next meeting of the National Disaster Coordinating Council.”

Wrong charges cleared Petron of the wrong

IN MY PACK By Ruth G. Mercado
The Freeman 04/02/2007

IN the Philippines, it does not need a lawyer to uphold the law. In fact, it does not need the law to indict wrong doers. Just last week, officials of Petron Corporation and operators of MV Solar I Sunshine Maritime Corporation were cleared of criminal charges after owning responsibility for the worst oil spill in the country’s maritime history.

The Guimaras Provincial Prosecutor’s Office dismissed criminal complaints against Petron and Sunshine Maritime for “lack of probable cause” in violating the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Ecological Waste Management Act. What prosecutor would indict an oil company or tanker for violating air, water and ecological regulations when the pollution committed was at sea, affecting marine life and involved a ship. No where does it come near air, water or ecology issues. One does not find probable cause in a man accused of murder when he actually committed arson. One does not accuse a man of rape, when actually he embezzled money.

Prosecutors only did what they had to do – dismiss the complaint because charges filed against Petron and Sunshine Maritime were wrong.

While there is dearth of laws regulating the operation of oil tankers or the prosecution of oil spill villains, government is not thoroughly inutile about prosecuting oil polluters if it has the will, resolve, hammer and teeth to do so. How is it that Petron and Sunshine Maritime were not charged for violating the fisheries law on pollution? Or why had they not been charged with Presidential Decree 600 the primary law penalizing oil pollution or the improper handling of hazardous cargoes. If the government was hell bent about prosecuting oil spillers and true killers of marine life, it should have filed complaints with existing laws parallel to the crime.

Bent about going to hell, government detoured from the road of the straight and the narrow and filed token charges if only to appease Guimaras residents. Seeing themselves in an uncompromising and awkward situation where they took responsibility of the oil spill but spared of liability, Petron dangled carrot and candy with rehabilitation initiatives in building schools and other palliative projects.

This slimy issue isn’t about to slip. What this dismissal brought to surface from out of oily issues is murky political engineering among government, maritime authorities and oil spill villains. What are being dismissed from view are allegations of oil pilferage which seems to have submerged with the tanker.

Oil spill and pollution in ocean waters were probably in existence since ships started running in this country. Each day, each minute, each second, channels and seas all over the archipelago are tainted, polluted as ships throw garbage, throw human wastes and throw excess oil at sea. Each moment, ships and tankers rendezvous at mid-sea to transfer or pilfer fuel. One only has to look at the shorelines of the Mactan Channel to see the oily residue and ugly garbage on the beachfront. One only has to wonder why ships ply certain routes without departure clearances.

The 2006 Guimaras oil spill got the spotlight because of the colossal manner by which two million liters of bunker fuel sank on clear weather. While Petron and Sunshine Maritime may have been dismissed, the ticking bomb underneath the sea can’t. Minimal oil has been retrieved from siphon operations. That means much of the two million liters of bunker oil have spread deep, wide and far underneath the ocean killing marine life with each tick of a second.

When that ticking time bomb of environment disaster does explode, humanity will be dismissed too.

Sunken MT Solar 1 won’t be salvaged nor refloated

ILOILO City – “We have to say goodbye to the sunken MT Solar 1 for it cannot be salvaged and refloated anymore,” said Task Force SOS chairman, Secretary Rafael Coscolluela.

Only about 5,000 liters of bunker oil were recovered from the sunken vessel off Guimaras waters by hired vessel Allied Shield of Sonsub of Singapore out of the 2.1 million liters carried by MT Solar 1 when it sank off Guimaras’ waters last August 11, 2006.

Coscolluela said there were 10 oil tanks of the sunken MT Solar I that were checked for remaining oil by Allied Shield’s equipment. Each tank had a 210 liters capacity.

At 7:18 a.m. yesterday, the oil recovery vessel Allied Shied had returned and docked at the Bredco port in Bacolod City, said Carlos Tan, Petron Health, Safety and Environment manager.

Coscolluela said the oil recovery vessel arrived in Bacolod City on March 10 and immediately started operation. Sonsub was paid P10 million per day of operation or about P200 million for its work.

It was reported earlier that the insurer Protection and Indemnity Club (P&I) has allotted some US$ 10 million for the operation in Guimaras.

The TF SOS chair said the oil recovery operation was needed to ensure that no further damage will incur to the environment caused by the oil spill.

Commodore Arturo Olivario of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and member of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), said the PCG established a one-kilometer exclusive zone at ground zero during the oil recovery operations.

Bantay Dagat vessels were intercepted on March 15 and March 19 and another fishing vessel on March 24 while Allied Shield was working in the area.

PCG contingency plans included oil spill response tugboats equipped with oil dispersants, oil skimmers for mechanical recovery of oil and spill booms for containment. An aircraft equipped with airborne dispersant capability was also monitoring the area. (Panay News, April 2, 2007)

Guimaras efforts shift to rehab as oil retrieval ends

By Carla Gomez, Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
Visayas Bureau
04/01/2007

BACOLOD CITY – The oil retrieval operation at MT Solar 1, which sank off the coast of Guimaras last year ended on Sunday, with less than 5,000 liters of oil recovered.

“As of today we are finished and we can guarantee that there is no more oil left on Solar 1,” said Mark Phibbs, who headed the team on board the Allied Shield vessel that conducted the retrieval of oil from Solar 1.

The amount of oil recovered showed that almost all of the 2.1 million of bunker fuel on board Solar 1 spilled when it sank amid stormy weather on Aug. 11, 2006.

Phibbs said there was no evidence to prove suspicions that the oil was taken off Solar 1 at sea before it sank. He said the seals on the cargo vessel’s 10 fuel tanks were intact.

He said they could not see if there were cracks at the bottom of the tanks that caused the leaks, because the wreck was so deeply buried in the mud. The Solar I wreck is lying 639 meters underwater 9 miles south of the island-province of Guimaras.

Technical analysis was being conducted to determine what caused Solar 1 to sink, Phibbs said.

The recovery operations ended on Sunday but the demobilization of all equipment and personnel involved in the $6 million-operation will be completed this week.

(The rest of the story at Inquirer.net.)

Allied Shield finishes offloading operations for Solar I

By Ronilo Ladrido Pamonag
The Philippine Star 04/01/2007

ILOILO CITY – Allied Shield will dock at the Bacolod port today after finishing offloading oil from the sunken tanker Solar 1 off Guimaras.

It took Allied Shield 20 days to completely offload the remaining oil from the sunken tanker. It arrived at the spill site on March 11 and began drilling into the tanker’s hull a few days later.

It was initially estimated that the recovery operation will be from 20 to 30 days, depending on the amount of oil remaining in the compartments.

Solar 1’s 10 compartments were now completely empty of oil, officials of Petron Corp. told The STAR yesterday, allaying, especially those of Guimaras residents, that there would be another oil spill.

Allied Shield recovered a minimal amount of oil from the tanker’s compartments. Several compartments turned up empty. According to Allied Shield’s daily progress report dated March 30, compartments 1-4 on the starboard side and compartments 1-5 on the portside were empty. But it was able to recover “oil remnants” from compartment 4 on the portside.

The recovery ship will still do a complete post operational survey before leaving the site.

Solar 1 was carrying two million liters of bunker fuel owned by Petron Corp. when it sank in August last year.

Leaking oil coated kilometers of coastline and created wide oil slicks that drifted with the current, wreaking catastrophe on the environment.

Officials of the oil company are planning to hold a press conference tomorrow to show video footages taken during the offloading operation. The tanker’s insurer, Protection and Indemnity Club, hired Italian deep sea construction services provide Sonsub for the offloading operations.

Allied Shield is scheduled to head back to its homeport in Singapore also today.