Guimaras oil spill

The Guimaras oil spill occurred in the Panay Gulf on August 11, 2006 when the oil tanker MT Solar 1 sank off the coast of Guimaras and Negros islands in the Philippines, causing what is considered as the worst oil spill in the country.[2][3]

Guimaras oil spill
Map showing the extent of the Guimaras oil spill.
Location	Guimaras Strait, Philippines
Coordinates	10°13′N 122°30′E
Date	11 August 2006
Cause
Cause	Sinking of MT Solar 1 during storm
Casualties	1 dead, 2 missing
Operator	Sunshine Maritime Development Corporation, Petron Corporation[1]
Spill characteristics
Volume	500,000 litres (110,000 imp gal; 130,000 US gal)

Background

The oil tanker MT Solar 1, carrying more than two million liters of bunker fuel, sank during a violent storm approximately 20.5 kilometres (12.7 mi) off the southern coast of Guimaras at around midnight on August 11, 2006,[4] causing some 500,000 litres (110,000 imp gal; 130,000 US gal) of oil to pour into the gulf, that traveled up through the Guimaras Strait and Iloilo Strait. Siphoning the remaining 1.5 million liters from the sunken tanker, at a depth of more than 600 metres (2,000 ft), was scheduled for March 2007.

The oil spill adversely affected marine sanctuaries and mangrove reserves in three out of five municipalities in Guimaras Island and reached the shores of Iloilo and Negros Occidental. The oil spill occurred in the Guimaras Strait that connects the Visayan Sea with the Sulu Sea, and is considered a rich fishing ground that supplies most of the demand for the entire country. (NDCC, August 2006)

Haribon sent two biologists to Guimaras to assess the damage and talk to the affected communities regarding their immediate needs. Haribon provided assistance particularly for the long-term rehabilitation of the area. The government evacuated the affected families who had been exposed to the toxic elements of the crude oil. According to reports gathered in the field, people contracted skin diseases associated with these elements.

Causes

Several causes have been cited, including bad weather and human error. Allegations have been made stating that the tanker only had a capacity of 1.2 million liters, implying the possibility of overloading.[5] Other investigations have claimed that the ship's Captain was not qualified to sail the vessel.

Effects

The Taklong Island National Marine Reserve was severely damaged. This bird was rescued in one of the mangroves being cleaned up.

The spill damaged Taklong Island National Marine Reserve, a marine sanctuary for feeding and breeding ground for fish and other species.[2] The oil slick also posed a threat to the blue crab industry in the municipality of Enrique B. Magalona in Negros Occidental.[6]

Dr. Jose Ingles, eco-region coordinator of the World Wide Fund for Nature in the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, said that the damage may be felt by at least two generations. He warned that the disaster may have damaged the reefs and mangroves, scarring the ecosystem and causing seafood yields to significantly decrease. According to him, the worst hit would be the shorelines, the coasts and the swamplands with mangroves. This will greatly impact the livelihood of the fishermen, mostly living in poor conditions.[7]

In the south-southeast of the spill site is located the Sulu Sea, a deep-water area frequented by commercially valued fish such as blue marlin and the yellowfin tuna, prized by the towns of southern Negros Occidental province as an important source of income for the communities. The oil slick may damage this thriving local industry.

On August 22, 2006, the Philippine Coast Guard stated that the spill has affected 20 communities in 4 municipalities in Guimaras. It also threatened 27 communities in Iloilo province and 17 others in Negros Occidental.[8]

Casualties

A villager from Barangay Lapaz, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras, became the first casualty directly affected by the spill. He died after inhaling the fumes of the oil sludge caused him to contract cardio-respiratory disease.[8] Two sailors from the ship were also reported missing.

Response

Due to the extent of the disaster, the cleanup was expected to reach three years.[2]

Local response

Cleanup in Barangay La Paz, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras

On August 19, the Philippine government has asked the governments of Indonesia, Japan and the United States to help assist with the cleanup.[9]

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo created Task Force Guimaras on August 22 in order to oversee both the cleanup of the oil spill and the retrieval of the 1.5 million liters of fuel oil still remaining inside the tanker. The government also ordered the creation of the Special Board of Marine Inquiry to determine who and what caused the spill.[3]

Guimaras Governor JC Rahman Nava has objected to the proposal of disposing the oil wastes within the province.[8]

Clemente Cancio, President of Sunshine Maritime Development Corporation (SMDC), the company which owned MT Solar I, said that their foreign insurer was willing to pay the cost of damage brought about by the oil spill.[8]

President Gloria Arroyo ordered a full investigation into the country's worst oil spill that devastated marine ecosystems in the central Philippines. Arroyo also ordered the Justice Department to join a special task force heading an investigation and cleanup on the island of Guimaras, where some 300 kilometers (190 mi) of coastline, including stretches of pristine beaches, had been affected by the oil slick from the sunken tanker. "We shall do everything in our power to right the wrongs caused by this unfortunate incident," Arroyo said after visiting the island, adding that she was deeply pained by the disaster that she declared a "national calamity".[10]

International response

On August 17, British oil experts, sent by SMDC's foreign insurer, arrived in Guimaras to assess the situation. SMDC stated that the experts will check the extent of the oil pollution. The Britons conducted an aerial survey over Guimaras Island and made recommendations based on their findings.[11][12]

A four-man team from the U.S. Coast Guard arrived on August 23 to assist in determining the exact location of the tanker.[8]

Thirteen Years after the Guimaras Oil spill

On October 11, 2019, Mongabay presented how Guimaras was able to rise above the worst oil spill in the Philippines.[13] It was with the help from the local community members, the local government unit, and the international responders.

References

1. Baua, Niko (2012-03-17). "Petron, Sunshine Maritime face P200-M suit over oil spill". ABS-CBN Corporation. Retrieved 2013-05-24.
2. Sarah Toms (15 August 2006). "Oil spill threatens Philippines". BBC News. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
3. "Arroyo forms task force to oversee oil spill cleanup". INQ7.net. 2006-08-23.
4. Arias, de la Cruz, Guillergan & Presaldo (2006). "Responding to an Oil Spill Disaster: Data Management Support for the Rehabilitation of Guimaras Island, Philippines". International Society for Environmental Information Sciences. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-12. Retrieved 2013-05-24. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
5. "Inquiry lists 3 factors behind Solar 1 sinking". The Manila Times. 2006-09-15.
6. "Slick to ruin blue crabs habitat in EB Magalona". Sun.Star Bacolod. 2006-08-23. Archived from the original on 2006-08-29.
7. "Sensitive habitats can be smothered by oil". INQ7.net. 2006-08-24.
8. "Governor says no to oil sludge disposal in Guimaras". Sun.Star Bacolod. 2006-08-23. Archived from the original on 2007-07-17.
9. "RP sends SOS on oil spill US, Japan, Indonesia help sought". INQ7.net. 2006-08-20.
10. "Arroyo vows to get to bottom of oil spill". PhilStar. 2006-08-26.
11. "British experts to help with oil spill clean-up". INQ7.net. 2006-08-18.
12. "British experts to help with oil spill clean-up". YahooNews. 2006-08-18.
13. Murga, Arnel (October 11, 2019). "Saving an island from the worst oil spill in the Philippines: The case of Guimaras". Mongabay. Retrieved October 28, 2019.