Philippine province of Cavite declares state of disaster over Terra Nova oil spill

Aug. 2 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Philippine province of Cavite has declared a state of emergency following the arrival on its coast of the oil spill from the cargo ship ‘Terra Nova’, which has completely paralysed fishing activity in the area.

The Terra Nova sank last Thursday near Manila Bay due to the strong waves caused by Typhoon Gaemi, an incident that ended with the death of a crew member and the complete sinking of the cargo ship, which was carrying 1.5 million tons of diesel fuel bound for the province of Iloilo, in the centre of the country.

The cargo ship’s fuel tank has not been damaged, but diesel is leaking through the valves in the distribution system, which have already deteriorated greatly over time.

The repair of these valves has represented a setback for the underwater maneuvers to extract the fuel stored on the cargo ship. The coastguard first wants to finish the manufacture of 19 metal caps to seal the distribution system before proceeding to remove the fuel.

Lieutenant Michael John Encina, a spokesman for the Coast Guard in Bataan province, said the situation was worrying but not alarming, as the cargo ship was currently emitting less than a liter of diesel per hour, compared to the 7.5 liters per minute it was emitting shortly after the shipwreck, according to statements collected by the Rappler website.

However, the stain of the first few days has spread to the province of Cavite, south of Manila, and is easily visible from the coasts of Tanza, Noveleta and Rosario, where fishermen and, especially, shellfish harvesters, have had to suspend their work, according to the statement from the provincial authorities reported by the ABS-CBN channel.

While waiting to extract the underwater spill, decontamination specialists and the local population are working tirelessly to contain the spill with the use of buoys, but it is currently unknown when the Government will give permission to resume activity.

On the other hand, and in the legal field, the country’s Minister of Justice, Jesus Crispin Remulla, announced this Friday that the Government is considering filing a lawsuit against those responsible for the cargo ship, which has still not given any sign of life more than a week after the shipwreck.

Remulla said the final decision would depend on the conclusions of the meetings he is holding with the governor of Cavite and the chief of the Coast Guard, Admiral Ronnie Gil Cavan.