Alert up over toxic cargo in sunken ship off Panay

MANILA, Philippines — An environmental threat similar to the one involving the capsized MV "Princess of the Stars" looms in Antique province in Western Visayas, this time from a sunken cargo ship off Culasi town. Online news site The News Today (www.thenewstoday.info) reported Wednesday that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) learned the ship bore “carcinogenic" (cancer-causing) cargo. Lormelyn Claudio, DENR regional director for Western Visayas, said they alerted local government units and residents of Culasi town and neighboring communities in Antique against possible contamination from toluene di-isocyanate (TDI). Claudio said that 16 metric tons of TDI placed in 80 drums were among the cargo of the MV "Ocean Papa," which sank at noon on June 21 near Mararison Island, only about 150 kilometers southwest of where the passenger ship "Princess of the Stars" capsized off Sibuyan Island in Romblon on June 22. The premiere tourism island of Boracay is about 70 km slightly to the north of Mararison. The cargo ship was en route to Iloilo City from Manila when it sank due to strong winds and rough seas, the DENR was quoted by the report as saying. Two of its crew were said to have died, while two others remained missing. As defined by the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau, TDI is a main ingredient in the production of flexible polyurethane foam and other polyurethane applications including synthetic leather. It is a clear, pale yellow liquid with a sharp, pungent odor and is "extremely toxic from acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) exposures. Claudio said they had conducted water sampling on the area and there has been no indication so far of fish kills and oil spillage. Coast Guard divers are trying to locate the van containing drums loaded with TDI, the report said. The owner of the cargo ship, Ocean Container Lines Inc., told the DENR and Coast Guard that it was unaware that one of its container vans carried the TDI. It said that the substance was brought in from Pusan, Korea by Wallem Philippines Shipping, Inc. and was only marked "Polyther Polyvol GP3001." Claudio said they only learned of the nature of the cargo when an importer of the substance sought permission from the DENR for another shipment because of the lost cargo of MV "Ocean Papa." Authorities are still grappling with the threat of contamination from 10 tons of endosulfan, a highly toxic pesticide loaded onto the "Princess of the Stars." - GMANews.TV