Philippine tanker responsible for dire oil spill did not have the correct paperwork

Philippine tanker responsible for dire oil spill did not have the correct paperwork
Sam Chambers March 14, 2023 https://splash247.com/philippine-tanker-responsible-for-dire-oil-spill-d...

As the Philippines grapples with its worst oil spill since 2006, it has emerged that the sunken tanker at the centre of the disaster did not have a permit to sail.

The locally flagged Princess Empress product tanker sank off the island of Mindoro on February 28, having lost power during rough weather. The ship was carrying 800,000 litres of industrial fuel oil when it went down, with oil now spreading far and wide across the centre of the archipelago.

Hernani Fabia, administrator of the country’s Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), said in a senate hearing today that the ship owned by Manila-based RDC Reield Marine Services did not have a permit to operate before it headed on its fateful voyage. The senate hearing also heard that the ship had travelled on nine previous voyages without the right paperwork.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Manila today warned that it does not think it will be able to stop the oil seepage from the wrecked ship, sitting in depths of around 400 m in the central Philippines.

Associate professor Irene Rodriguez from the Marine Science Institute at the University of the Philippines, warned the oil spill, which is spreading to popular beach destinations, could take up to three years to clean up.