Refloating 'Princess' is risky, expensive - Coast Guard exec

BENITO EBUEN AIR BASE, Lapu-Lapu City – Refloating the capsized MV Princess of the Stars is risky and expensive, but it is the best way to speed up the retrieval of the bodies and hazardous chemicals still trapped inside the vessel, a Coast Guard official said Wednesday. “That is the most effective way of retrieving, to refloat the vessel, (but) that operation is sensitive,” said Lt. Commander Rogelio Villanueva, the Coast Guard adviser on special concerns. Villanueva, who was among those who accompanied President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo during her visit to the site of the tragedy Wednesday, highlighted the need for the immediate recovery of the bodies. "Aside from getting the toxic substances, this (refloating) will also hasten the retrieval of the bodies considering that a lot of time have already elapsed. You all know that the bodies are decomposing so if we allow this to drag on, the bodies inside will deteriorate further," he said. Search and retrieval operations for the victims of the MV Princess of the Stars tragedy were put on hold last week after authorities discovered that the ill-fated vessel was carrying 10 metric tons of endosulfan, a hazardous pesticide banned in other countries but is only regulated in the Philippines. Refloating the ship would also have other benefits, particularly to the area of the accident, Villanueva said. "If you refloat (the ship), it will be easier to pull out the dangerous cargos and then you can also remove the fuel inside so that we can also prevent and oil pollution and then of course recover the bodies," he said. Villanueva however said that the final decision whether or not to refloat MV Princess of the Stars lies on a team of marine experts commissioned by the Task Force Princess of the Stars. He said that if the ship would be refloated, foreign salvage firms would have to be hired to do the job since the local Coast Guard is not well-equipped to handle salvage operations. Asked on why refloating the vessel may be risky, Villanueva said that if not properly handled, this may cause the ship to further sink. "This (refloating) will be a very sensitive operation because you have to consider also the balance of the ship. There is the possibility that while floating the vessel, water will penetrate and the ship's balance will be lost and the whole ship will sink. If this happens, it is going to be more difficult to retrieve the bodies of the victims," he said. On how much time is needed to refloat the ship, Villanueva said this may take a month. The period, however, can be shortened depending on the number of resources that will be mobilized for the salvage efforts. - GMANews.TV