Asia/Pacific News
Bunker Spill Spreads After Deadly Philippines Ferry Crash
A deadly ferry collision in the Philippines has sent oil onto nearby waters and coastlines, local news outlet the Inquirer News reports.
The MV St. Thomas Aquinas sank Friday evening after colliding with a cargo vessel, and the resulting oil spill has affected five villages in Cordova town.
The vessel, operated by Philippine travel company 2Go Travel, was carrying 20,000 litres of diesel, 120,000 litres of bunker oil, and 20,00 litres of lube oil when it sank.
Cordova has been declared under a state of calamity due to the spill's effect on the fishing industry, and local fishermen said their catches were coated with oil and could not be sold or eaten.
2GO Travel has hired Malayan Towage, four Japanese technical divers and a International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Ltd. (ITOPF) expert to help contain the spill, and local officials have said they are seeking help from the public in the oil cleanup to prevent severe damage to local ecosystems and fisheries.
At least 38 people died in the collision, and authorities say 82 people now listed as missing are believed dead, news channel ABS CBN reports.
Divers have been seeking to plug an oil leak in the vessel by cutting into the ship at a depth of 45 meters.
The ferry sank after colliding with MV Sulpicio Express Siete when both ships entered a narrow channel after dark.
A 2Go Group official has been quoted saying the ferry could not veer to the right because the water was too shallow.
