Coast Guard collects 7,000 liters of oily water mixture from spill-affected areas

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) collected some 7,000 liters of oily water mixture as part of operations to address the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro.

The PCG also collected nearly 2,000 sacks of oil-contaminated materials and 22 drums of oil debris and trash from 13 barangays, as reported on GMA News Live on Sunday evening.

The collected oily mixture and debris is part of the oil spill clean-up effort from the sinking of the MT Prince Empress, which was carrying 900,000 liters of industrial fuel oil when it sank in heavy seas on February 28.

The PCG earlier said the motor tanker sank 400 meters into the ocean, which was too deep for divers to reach.

The Bureau of Fishers and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) last week said the oil spill could cause a lower fish output, but not to the extent of a nationwide shortage.

Meanwhile, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said the spill had affected at least 61 tourist sites, with the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP MSI) warning that this could reach northern Palawan and threaten over 36,000 hectares of marine habitat. — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/DVM, GMA Integrated News