The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Thursday, August 1, began the oil recovery operation from cargo vessel MV Mirola 1 which ran aground in the coastal waters of Mariveles, Bataan. 

PCG personnel were manually scooping the sludge oil from the vessel which spilled inside the vessel and leaking into the coastal waters of Sitio Quiapo in Barangay Biaan. 

Sludge oil refers to a mixture of used oil from the vessel’s machineries, engine or motor oil. And diesel oil.

“The Coast Guard personnel were putting the collected oil into big drums which will be brought to a waste disposal facility to ensure that they will not cause health concerns to the residents,” the PCG said in a statement.

The PCG received the report that MV Mirola 1 hit shallow waters of Mariveles last July 23.

PCG Commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan earlier said that MV Mirola 1 did not pose a serious threat as it only contains diesel fuel which can dissipate under the heat of the sun once it leaks.

However, Coast Guard Station Bataan commander Lt. Cdr. Michael John Encina confirmed in a radio interview on Thursday that the vessel was actually carrying two drums of heavy fuel oil or dark oil and 3,000 liters of diesel fuel.

The rusting vessel was found tilted on its side and causing an oil spill off Mariveles' coast.

MTKR Terranova

Meanwhile, the PCG also reported that the capping of all the 24 valves and high-level alarm pipes from motor tanker MTKR Terranova which sank off Limay, Bataan has already been completed.

However, the siphoning of 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil (IFO) cargo will be moved to “not later than two weeks” as new safety precautions were ordered by Gavan.

The PCG chief said that the initial capping bags used to seal the valves and pipes will be replaced with metal caps “for durability”. 

“The fabrication of metal cappings will take seven days. The installation will then take another seven days,” Gavan said.

“With the above developments, the siphoning will be moved to not later than two weeks from now. This due diligence measure will however afford us with better control to reduce to barest minimum the possibility of disastrous oil spill during the conduct of siphoning activity,” he noted.

The PCG said that the “very thin” oil sheens were still present at the ground zero as the leak of “less than one liter of oil” from MTKR Terranova continued.

“But control measures are in place, including oil spill booms laid, skimmers on site, and oil dispersants being employed, as necessary,” Gavan said.