By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz
MANILA – Oily waste siphoned from the sunken MTKR Terranova has reached 806,254 liters on Wednesday after siphoning more than 200,000 liters in a single day.
In a situation update, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said the contracted salvor, Harbor Star, collected 232,187 liters of oily waste on Wednesday alone, doubling the average amount siphoned per day since the operation began on Aug. 19.
The rate of oily waste flow on Wednesday reached 24,614 liters per hour, compared to 12,944 liters per hour on Monday.
Harbor Star’s divers also inspected pumps and hoses for any signs of leakage and reported that no leaks were observed.
To date, the PCG collected oil samples from the sunken tanker for analysis while BRP Sindangan continues to monitor the siphoning operation and using water cannons to agitate the minimal oil sheen at ground zero.
MTKR Terranova with 1.4 million liters of industrial oil on board sank off nearly Limay, Bataan on July 25 at the height of Typhoon Carina and enhanced southwest monsoon or habagat.
On the other hand, resealing and patching of MTKR Jason Bradley’s manhole and air vents is being implemented by its contracted salvor, FES Challenger.
An oil spill response team patrols the coastline near the sunken vessel to monitor the situation.
MV Mirola 1 has also been secured and moored at the Diving Industry Shipyard, Barangay Alas-asin in Mariveles Bataan. (PNA)
