Sunken tanker behind Oriental Mindoro oil spill located —gov

MT Princess Empress, which sank off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro late last month and caused an oil spill, has been located, Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito Dolor said Tuesday.

In a Facebook post, Dolor said MT Princess Empress was found through the survey of the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) from Japan, which started its operation on Monday.

“Sa wakas, natagpuan na ang MT Princess Empress! Ang unang sulyap sa lumubog na barko gamit ang ROV [Finally, MT Princess Empress was found. It is the first time the sunken vessel was sighted through the ROV],” he said.

The ROV was contracted by RDC Reield Marine Services, the operating company of MT Princess Empress.

“Ganap na 9:52 ng umaga kanina, inilabas ang kauna-unahang mga litrato ng pagkakakita sa eksaktong kinalalagyan ng MT Princess Empress,” Dolor said at a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon.

(At exactly 9:52 this morning, the first photos of the exact location of the MT Princess Empress were released.)

Dolor said they expect the company's official report to be released in three to five days.

“Ilan sa mga ways forward natin kapag nadetermine na sa pag-aanalyze ng mga experto kung ano yung nasasaloob ng barko, may butas na kailangang takpan, at ano pa ang additional equipment ang kailangan,” he added.

(Some of our ways forward when it is determined by the analysis of the experts on what's inside the vessel are: is there a hole that needs to be covered, and what additional equipment is needed?)

Asked if there is a hole in the motor tanker, Commodore Geronimo Tuvilla, commander of incident team Oriental Mindoro, said "That has yet to be found out, aantayin namin ang data na ibibigay ng (we will wait for the data given by the) Japanese experts.”

Tuvilla said the depth of the motor tanker's location will be further discussed with the experts.

MT Princess Empress was carrying around 900,000 liters of industrial fuel oil when it sank due to strong waves on February 28. All 20 people on board were rescued.

According to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the motor tanker sank 400 meters into the ocean, which was too deep for divers to reach.

In a statement Monday, the PCG said it has collected 6,803 liters of oily water mixture and 65 sacks of oil-contaminated materials during its offshore response operations for the oil spill.

A total of 151,463 people or 32,661 families in 131 barangays in Mimaropa and Western Visayas were affected by the oil spill, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council  (NDRRMC) said Monday.

At least 189 people fell ill due to the oil spill, it added.

State of calamity was declared in 10 cities and municipalities, according to the NDRRMC. —Joviland Rita and Richa Noriega/KBK/VBL, GMA Integrated News