It will be almost two years since the MT Solar (prophetic name?) Oil Tanker sank off the coast of Guimaras Island on August 11, 2006 resulting in the worst oil spill in Philippine history. Down with it went almost 2 Million liters of bunker fuel. 500,000 liters of which spilled out into the sea while the remainder being left in the downed tanker.
What ensued was an ecological disaster and a public relations nightmare for the Petron Corporation for having contracted the M/T Solar’s owners to transport the oil in a single hulled ship from their depots to all the way in Mindanao.
A massive cleanup operations was undertaken to clear the area of the oil which could choke the wild life on the beaches, on the corral reefs and the all but important mangrove structure that sustains the local sea life.
QTV channel paid a visit to Guimaras island via their program, Sisid (to dive), to check on how things have been going since then. Susan Enriquez and Howie Severino checked the previously blacked out beaches.
If you look at Guimaras now, the white sand beaches were back to their original color with only few pockets of oil found alongside barrels still being used to clear up the remaining mess.
Despite the beaches being a sparkling white, the mangrove areas deep within the inlet are still a murky black. Owing to the inaccessibility of the mangrove due to the massive root structure that made it impassable for the cleaners.
The mangrove has started to slowly heal itself after two years as the camera showed a single mangrove tree that has taken root. How long before the area will be once again teeming with marine life and fresh mangrove remains to be seen.
Much of the recovered oil was sent to the cement maker Holcim in Mindanao to be used as fuel for their boilers, so that wasn’t wasted.
Another effect of the oil spill was the stricter enforcement of the use double hulled tankers when shipping fuel. Sad though that a “Guimaras” had to happen before this could take place.
Category: Oil, Eco Disaster
