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Toxic pesticides inside the hull of a capsized
Philippine passenger ferry could start leaking any time, European
Union experts warned Friday.
Their findings showed “no
observable oil sheen or environmental pollution” so far but they
warned this could soon change.
Releasing the findings, the
undersecretary for Philippine maritime affairs, Maria Elena
Bautista, said “there is really no assurance that the packaging
will hold after more than a month.”
The MV Princess of the Stars sank
during a typhoon on June 21 off the central island of Sibuyan with
over 800 aboard.
As divers began retrieving bodies
from the vessel, it was revealed it was also carrying a cargo of the
deadly pesticide endosulfan, threatening the rich fishing waters
around the island.
The government also found the
ship was carrying smaller amounts of other deadly pesticides and
diesel fuel.
Of the passengers and crew, just
57 people survived the tragedy and hundreds of bodies remain trapped
inside the ferry.
Government agencies will continue
to do tests off the waters around the shipwreck and the currents
passing through the area to make sure the waters are still safe.
As a precautionary measure, a
five-kilometer zone has been set up around the shipwreck where boats
and fishing are not allowed, officials added.
European Union salvage expert
Rune Stefan Berglind warned that the government must have
contingency plans in place in case the ship starts to break up or if
another typhoon hits the area.
He said that the government’s
handling of the situation was “well done so far,” but stressed
that a master plan must be ready to remove the toxins from the
water.
The United Nations and European
Union are willing to dispatch more experts to the country to help in
addressing the problem if needed, officials said.
Bautista said the owner of the
ill-fated ferry, Sulpicio Lines Inc., had selected a foreign
company, Titan Salvage, to salvage the ship and remove the
chemicals. Titan’s operations will start on August 4 and last for
about 30 days.
However, Bautista criticized
Sulpicio for not doing enough to salvage the ferry and minimize the
damage.
“They can do more,” she said
but declined to elaborate.
Salvaging equipment
not tax exempt
The Bureau of Customs on Friday
balked on the request of Titan that the equipment to be used in
salvaging the Princess of the Stars should be given exemption in
paying duties.
Customs Commissioner Napoleon
Morales said that the decision to grant the request of Titan to
exempt its equipment from taxes lies with the Department of Finance
(DoF).
“As a general rule, all
importations are subject to duties and taxes. Customs collects the
duties, if there is an exemption from the DoF . . . then we will not
collect,” Morales told reporters on Friday.
Titan, which has international
operations, has appealed to the government that the equipment it
will bring into the country be exempted from customs duties.
The firm will be bringing in
about 18 tons of equipment through chartered planes. The equipment
will be used to retrieve the toxic chemicals inside the ill-fated
vessel.
“It [salvaging firm] is allowed
to put up a bond if it [equipment] will be re-exported within six
months,” Morales said.
Sulpicio and its insurance firm,
Oriental Assurance, is reportedly shelling out $9 million or roughly
P405 million for the retrieval of the toxic cargo from the capsized
vessel.
--AFP and Anthony Vargas
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