MANILA, Philippines – Almost two weeks after MT Princess Empress sank off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said they are still dealing with a Tier 2 oil spill.

“Kapag more than 1 million na ang volume ng oil na involved sa spill ay i-elevate po natin sa Tier 3. And this one is less than 1 million, so right now, nasa Tier 2 pa po tayo, so Coast Guard pa po ang nag-o-oversee ng operations ng oil spill response operations ng government,” PCG Commandant Admiral Artemio Abu said on Saturday, March 11.

(When the volume of the oil involved in the spill is more than 1 million, we will elevate it to Tier 3. And this one is less than 1 million, so right now, we are still at Tier 2, so it is the Coast Guard that oversees the oil spill response operations of the government.)

Abu explained that the PCG follows the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCOP), which details the tiered response to oil spill situations at various levels:

• Tier 1: Response is generally small in magnitude and only affects a small area. Usually, the operator or company involved can respond to the problem.
• Tier 2: Larger in magnitude and requires a response from the government.
• Tier 3: Requires national level response and assistance from the international community.

Abu said that although the Philippine government has not yet elevated its response to Tier 3, foreign coast guards and experts have already expressed their desire to help the PCG.

The PCG chief also said numerous experts and coast guards of foreign countries – including a team from Japan – have offered to help in the ongoing cleanup operations. He said the team from Japan had already arrived in the country and had been briefed about the situation.

Aside from tapping agencies such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and local government units, Abu noted that operating teams need to locate the exact location of the oil tanker to contain the spillage.

As of Saturday, Abu said the Philippine government has yet to determine the percentage of oil cleaned up from the waters since their operations have begun.

In its bulletin dated Friday, March 10, the University of the Philippines (UP) Marine Science Institute said the PCG had reported oil slick sightings and onshore deposition on the coast located in Taytay, Palawan. The UP institute also advised the northwestern part of Palawan to prepare and report any sightings of the oil slick and follow public guidance to prevent the spill’s harmful effects.

MT Princess Empress capsized on February 28 while carrying an estimated 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil. The ship was en route to Iloilo from Bataan when it capsized, causing the spillage of oil in waters nearby.

Days later, on March 6, authorities said the sunken ship had been spotted around 7.5 nautical miles from Balisangan Point facing the town of Pola, Oriental Mindoro. At least 76 coastal barangays in nine towns in Oriental Mindoro have since been put under state of calamity. – Rappler.com