MV St. Thomas Aquinas crash oil spill impact
Cebu Provincial Government passed a resolution declaring Cebu province under state of calamity. This passed in response to the concern of some LGUs that the oil spill caused by the collision between the M/V St. Thomas Aquinas and Sulpicio Express Siete already reached their areas of jurisdiction, and has adversely affected the livelihood of the fisher folks in their areas. To date, the oil spill reached the shores of Talisay City and the Municipality of Cordova. Fishermen in Cordova lamented that they were no longer able to catch eel in the coastal areas of the said town.
Oil slick estimated to come from MV St Thomas Aquinas, reaches the shores of Cordova town on Mactan Island, Cebu.
(Photo Credit: Office of Cebu Rep. Luigi Quisumbing)
The Province of Cebu will extend both food and medical assistance to the victims. The Province and all other LGU’s are battling to contain the spread of the oil spill and requested concerned individuals to donate indigenous materials such as human hair, sawdust, coco husk and chicken feathers to be used to control the spill.
Cebu Daily News reports that as divers rush to seal off a leaking fuel tank in the sunken MV St. Thomas Aquinas, the environment office DENR computed the cost of damage to mangroves at more than P6.5 million.
The amount will be slapped as damage compensation for 328 hectares of ruined mangrove plantations covering 12 barangays in Cordova town and Lapu-Lapu City, an official said.
Burlap bags and empty water bottles tied with rope were cast out to sea yesterday as improvised oil spill booms to soak up traces of oil from the Aug. 16 collision of the MV St. Thomas Aquinas and cargo ship Sulpicio Express Siete.
Hundreds of students, barangay workers, government employees and private volunteer groups spent the Ninoy Aquino holiday in the coastal cleanup.
“We found out that there were two leak sources of the oil and we have successfully plugged one of the sources,” said Capt. Daniel Sarmiento.
He said the second leak was spewing “manageable” amounts of oil. This has to be sealed before the rest could be siphoned from the tanks.
For more details on the MV St. Thomas Aquinas accident read
