Ensure zero oil spill from ‘Princess,’ Coast Guard tells salvage firm

MANILA, Philippines - Ensuring a "zero oil spill" should be the priority of the firm contracted to take out toxic cargo from the capsized MV Princess of the Stars, the Philippine Coast Guard said Tuesday. Radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported that Coast Guard officials will ask Titan Salvage for its initial plans on how to remove a 10-ton shipment of endosulfan and 230,000 liters of fuel from the capsized passenger vessel. The Coast Guard's marine environmental protection unit said it is particularly concerned about some 230,000 liters of bunker and super fuel oil still inside the capsized vessel, saying it does not want a repeat of an environmental disaster in 2006 when the Solar I oil tanker sank off Guimaras and leaked the bunker oil it was carrying. On the other hand, the Coast Guard said it already positioned its oil spill response teams to nearby Sibuyan Island in Romblon, and put its oil spill boom into position. Last Monday, Sulpicio Lines Inc., owner of the capsized vessel, named Titan Salvage as the contractor that will take out the toxic cargo from the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars. The firm said it would take two months - from the time the contract with Sulpicio Lines is signed - before it could complete its work. - GMANews.TV