Alegria oil spill under control

CEBU, Philippines - Alegria town planning and development officer Jesus Rey Cavalida said that the oil spill from a sunken vessel is already under control and fisher folks and other residents of barangays Legaspi and Poblacion have reported no more incidents involving the said spill.

Although Cavalida said there are so far no reports of corals and other marine aquatic resources damaged by oil, he still recommended that there should be more oil spill booms put in place to totally absorb the traces of oil and grease in the seas.

During their meeting with the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape-Protected Area Management Board last Friday, Cavalida, through Superintendent Prospero Lendio, aired his concerns about the spill.

Deliberation of projects and proposed solutions were discussed during the said meeting.

Due to the late invitation, Jomalia Shipping, owner of the LCT Marc Jason III, the vessel leaking oil, was not able to attend the said meeting. However, the company is reportedly already in the process of salvaging the sunken vessel.

Jomalia Shipping operations manager Romeo Danganan also said they will meet with the different local government units of the affected municipalities regarding with the case.

Last May 28, Jomalia Shipping failed to proceed with salvaging the sunken vessel after the appearance of slight amounts of crude oil discharging from the vessel’s engine.

Jomalia Shipping has sent a ship insurance surveyor and a salvage contractor to constantly inspect the vessel together with the Coast Guard.

The company said that they have been trying to salvage the vessel for almost a month now. The shipping company said that on the first or second week of this month the vessel will already be salvaged. —/BRP (FREEMAN)