Coast Guard probes 'coal spill' off Batangas

Cyclone "Basyang" (Conson) did not only trigger an oil spill off Cavite, it also caused a coal spill off Batangas. Coast Guard Metro Manila head Commodore Luis Tuason Jr. said they are now investigating the threat involving coal that fell from a vessel that listed off Batangas as the cyclone swept through Metro Manila and nearby provinces last week. "Medyo tagilid siya nang kaunti sa bandang kaliwa. May sinasabi ang kapitan ng tugboat may 40 percent na nalaglag o binayo. Pinasisid ng Coast Guard ang area para i-confirm ang nahulog na coal (The ship listed and its captain said as much as 40 percent of its coal cargo fell into the water)," Tuason said in an interview on dzBB radio.

Citing initial reports reaching him, Tuason said the vessel, being towed by a tugboat, had 8,000 metric tons of coal when big waves battered it. He said the vessel may have dropped part of its cargo off Nasugbu town in Batangas. "Itong sa lakas ng hangin e naputol ang pagkahila sa barge at sumadsad sa Nasugbu (The strong winds snapped the towing cable and the barge ran aground in Nasugbu)," he said. Radio dzBB on Friday reported the Coast Guard also cited initial investigation showing the barge was overloaded. It said the barge, which belonged to an Indonesian firm, was delivering coal from Indonesia when it figured in the incident. The Coast Guard said that while the barge could carry only 3,000 tons, it was carrying some 8,000 tons at the time of the incident. Worse, the water around the barge had turned into black, the report added. Tuason said his office has written to the owner of the ship to have the stranded barge taken out soonest, or the Coast Guard will contract a salvor to do the job and bill the owner later. There is a risk of fish kill in the area if the coal is not immediately collected from the seabed because coal is composed mostly of carbon and may block the PH level of the water, he added. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV