Oil spill: 8 Cavite towns declare calamity

MANILA, Philippines — Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla yesterday declared a state of calamity in the towns of Bacoor, Kawit, Noveleta, Rosario, Tanza, Naic, Maragondon and Ternate following the sinking of oil tankers in the neighboring province of Bataan.

A no-catch zone has been implemented for all shellfish in the province.

The provincial government is meeting for the immediate distribution of relief goods for 25,000 affected fisherfolk, Remulla said.

Meanwhile, a seven-man team of marine environment and weather experts from the US will arrive this weekend to assist the Philippines in responding to the oil spill in Manila Bay, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

Experts from the US Coast Guard (USCG) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will visit the site of the oil spill in Limay, Bataan, PCG spokesman Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said yesterday.

On July 25, oil tanker Terra Nova, carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel, submerged 3.6 nautical miles off Lamao Point in Limay.

“They will be going to ‘ground zero’ probably on Aug. 5. If I am not mistaken, this is composed of the marine environmental protection team of the USCG and NOAA,” Balilo said.

“They intend to lend their expertise on the conduct of the salvage operations,” he added.

There is no information on whether the USCG would bring any equipment with them, Balilo said.

“It might just be small equipment that they could use for testing,” he noted.

The experts’ presence does not mean that salvaging operations would be faster, he maintained.

“They will lend their expertise, maybe in the aftermath of the oil spill and the coastal management. NOAA will advise us on the kind of weather and what would be the best strategy to apply, given the kind of weather that we have in the country. They will be the ones that could help us in these aspects,” Balilo said.

Divers of salvor Harbor Star have not yet completed the sealing and capping of all 24 valves and pipes of the 65-meter Terra Nova, according to PCG Bataan station commander Lieutenant Commander Michael John Encina.

He said that a barge carrying the siphoning equipment, as well as Terra Nova’s sister ship MT Helena