The Princess Empress was carrying 800,000 liters of oil when she sank off the coast of the Philippines.
An oil-covered crab slinks across the sand as Filipino fishermen in white hazmat suits, rubber gloves and breathing masks scrape toxic sludge from rocks along the shore.
Four weeks after a Philippine tanker loaded with 800,000 liters (210,000 gallons) of thick oil sank off Central Mindoro Island, the ship is still leaking.
More than half of the oil has been drained and dispersed over hundreds of kilometers of waters that are famous for some of the most diverse marine life in the world.
Experts estimate that the tanker’s two main spots northwest and southeast could span 162 square kilometers (62 square miles).
It took two days for the spill to reach Bohai na Tubeg, a remote village in Pula, one of the worst affected municipalities on the island.
Some villagers became ill after oil smeared the beach, turning rocks black and leaving dark globs on the beach.
The authorities have banned fishing and swimming indefinitely, leaving thousands of fishermen wondering how long they can survive.
“They say this could take six months, but what if we are unable to fish for a whole year?” asked Arvie Anonuevo, 32, who has three children.
For more than two weeks, Anonuevo and other fishermen spent four hours a day sifting for oil for a daily wage of 355 pesos ($6.50) from the government—just over half of what they made from their catch.
Fishermen spend hours a day cleaning up the oil for a small daily wage from the government.
Anglers use trowels and plates of thin, absorbent material to clean the rocks.
By the next day, more oil had washed ashore.
“It’s annoying when the oil comes back the next day no matter how much you clean (the rocks),” Anonuevo said.
The government estimates that at least 5,000 hectares (12,400 acres) of coral reefs, seagrass and mangroves have been affected.
Mangroves can suffocate if oil coats their roots, while coral reefs—a breeding ground for many species of fish—could die or struggle to grow and reproduce if exposed.
It will take at least six months to clean up the spill, but recovery could take years, said Irene Rodriguez, an associate professor at the University of the Philippines’ Institute of Marine Sciences.
One of the worst spills in the Philippines occurred in 2006, when a tanker carrying two million liters of oil sank off Guimaras Island in the center of the country.
Rodriguez said 500,000 liters of oil spilled into the sea in that accident.
Experts say it will take at least six months to clean up the oil spill, but recovery could take years.
This time she hoped “to contain it as soon as possible”.
“If (the oil) is not removed properly and is not treated properly … it will have a huge impact,” Rodriguez told AFP.
Live “hand to mouth”
Princess Empress was found last week by a Japanese remotely operated underwater rover at a depth of 400 meters (1,300 feet).
The Philippine Coast Guard said the ship suffered “significant structural damage” after it sank on February 28.
Seven out of eight cargo tanks leaked. Of these, four are already empty.
Philippine coast guard spokesman Armando Balilo told AFP that about 60 percent of the oil had spilled into the sea.
Rough seas initially delayed the deployment of floating barriers to contain the spill.
Oil has been found as far away as the western island of Palawan, more than 350 kilometers (220 miles) from where the tanker went down.
The Philippine government estimates that at least 5,000 hectares (12,400 acres) of coral reefs, seagrass, and mangroves have been affected.
Some oil also drifted north into the Verde Island Pass, between Mindoro and the main island of Luzon in the Philippines.
The pass is located near the top of the Coral Triangle, an area of water that extends into Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor and is called the “Amazon of the Seas” because of its rich marine life.
The Philippine Coast Guard said insurance companies on the ship were looking for experts to fix the leaks and remove the oil.
Several countries, including the United States, Japan and South Korea, are helping the Philippines to respond to the disaster.
The owner of the tanker said that anyone affected by the leak can claim compensation.
Financial help can’t come fast enough for the many fishermen, who usually get their hands on picking bananas or coconuts to supplement their income.
But banana trees were damaged by a powerful storm last year and the next coconut harvest is months away.
Paula Mayor Jennifer Cruz worries about how families will make ends meet once government aid runs dry.
An oil spill prevented oil-soaked debris from entering a river on the Philippine island of Mindor.
“These are people who live side by side,” Cruz told AFP, warning that it could take a year before hunting is allowed to resume.
Anonuevo is already struggling, having used half of the money earned from the first week of rock cleaning to pay off debts from buying food for his family and gasoline for his motorcycle.
Fellow fisherman Marlon Fabrero, 46, said he is considering taking one of his four children out of school to cut expenses.
“Where do I get my daily allowance of 50 pesos for each of them?” Asked.
© 2023 AFP
the quote: Philippine Fishermen Struggle as Oil Spill Keeps Them Ashore (2023, March 29) Retrieved March 29, 2023 from https://phys.org/news/2023-03-philippine-fishermen-struggle-oil-ashore.html
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