Permanent damage of oil spills

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is racing against time to contain 1.4 million liters of cargo fuel from spilling into the sea—a tragedy that will devastate the environment for years.

It is but small comfort that only the “working fuel,” or the diesel fuel used to power MT Terra Nova, has leaked so far, and not the industrial fuel oil cargo. The vessel, headed for Iloilo, capsized and eventually submerged off Lamao Point, Limay, Bataan, right at the mouth of Manila Bay, early Thursday morning just as Supertyphoon “Carina” left devastation behind. As of Friday, reports said an oil slick stretching about 3.7 kilometers was being carried by a strong current. Authorities were worried that it would reach Manila Bay, and also affect Navotas, Bulacan, and Pampanga depending on the wind direction and sea currents.

The PCG has absolved MT Terra Nova from breaking any rules on heavy-weather sailing because, per its spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo, the weather bureau has not issued a typhoon signal over Bataan when it started to sail late Wednesday. The ship’s captain only decided to turn back when the vessel encountered large waves. By then, it was too late—one of the 17 crew members was later found dead.

‘No cure, no pay’ contract

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration, in fact, has issued regular weather bulletins on Carina and as early as Tuesday warned of rough seas over the northern and eastern seaboards of Northern Luzon and eastern seaboards of Central Luzon. Authorities must investigate the incident to determine accountability—were there other factors why the vessel left the port despite bad weather conditions?

But first, authorities must contain the spill and mobilize local and international support—the PCG has given itself seven days to complete the siphoning operations. That the ship sunk in a relatively shallow area could help contain the disaster and hasten salvage operations although this still depends on the kind of fuel used. Most ships use heavy fuel oil which spreads slower but is stickier and more difficult to clean up. Shogun Ships Company Inc., the ship’s owner, has tapped Harbor Star Shipping Services under a “no cure, no pay” contract, meaning, to get paid, the latter must fulfill the terms of agreement including minimizing possible environmental damage and salvaging the industrial fuel oil contained in the tanker.

Harbor Star was also one of the companies contracted for the shoreline cleanup and disposal of oily waste in last year’s oil spill involving MT Princess Empress. The oil tanker, carrying 900,000 liters of industrial oil, sunk off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, on Feb. 28, 2023, on the way to Iloilo.

Verde Island Passage

The spill eventually reached the coastal communities of Oriental Mindoro, Batangas, Antique, and Palawan, affecting 200,000 people across three regions, including 27,850 fisherfolk. It also affected the Verde Island Passage, an important area for marine biodiversity. The government estimated total damage to the ecosystem and dependent coastal communities at P5.1 billion but the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development placed it at P41.2 billion.The damage in this most recent oil spill could be more extensive and the government must look into the Mindoro oil spill case and what it can do better this time. The top criticism was the delay in assisting fisherfolk and providing them with alternative sources of income. Local communities should also be assisted in responding to disasters like this as immediate response is crucial.

The country has several laws and regulations to prevent oil spills and hold companies accountable for their actions but enforcement and implementation remain problematic. The legal process can be complicated and time-consuming for fisherfolk and coastal communities, who do not have resources at their disposal, to pursue.

Compounding effects

This should not be the norm, however, and the government must use the full extent of the law to make rich companies behind these disasters pay because the damage caused to the environment and the communities is permanent.

As Lea Guerrero, Greenpeace Philippines country director, said: “Even [if] an oil spill has been declared clear, there are portions of the sea which never really recover. A lot of the cleaning and the clearing that you see are the visible effect, the visible sign of the spill but a lot of it is happening under the water where the chemicals [affect] marine life … It’s not just the cleaning of the oil spill that we’re talking about [but] the compounding effects on communities that are reliant on a healthy marine environment.” Environmentalists also reiterated their call for the Marcos administration to end dependence on fossil fuels and expedite the transition to renewable energy.

Indeed, it is not enough to contain this latest disaster—the government must prevent future incidents from happening, as they always take a heavy toll on the environment and ordinary Filipinos.