South Korean firm fined for Subic oil spill
Tonette Orejas Allan Macatuno - Inquirer
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—The South Korean shipbuilding firm Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co. has been slapped a notice of violation for last Saturday’s oil spill on Subic Bay, and fined $5,000 (P265,150) daily until a complete clean up has been undertaken.
The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority’s ecology center issued the notice on Tuesday. It was addressed to Hak Kon Kim, project director for HHIC’s 230-hectare shipyard on Redondo Peninsula.
At least 400 liters of fuel oil spilled on the bay’s water as the company’s barge, the LCT (land craft transport) Consing sank while berthed at Sitio Agusuhin in Barangay Cawag in Subic town, SBMA ecology chief Amethya dela Llana said in a phone interview.
De la Llana said the area, which the HHIC was using as a mooring site, belonged to the jurisdiction of the SBMA.
HHIC, she said, violated the SBMA rules on prevention, containment, abatement and control of marine pollution. The rules prescribe $5,000 as penalty for the first offense.
Requirements
De la Llana also ordered Hak to immediately submit an incident report, conduct cleanup and recovery operations and submit an oil spill contingency plan.
The LCT, which came from MV Stella Cosmos, was transporting steel sheet piles to the construction site of Hanjin in Sitio Agusuhin when it went under water.
Gregorio Royol, head of SBMA seaport department’s port operations division, said the oil spill covered about 1,500 square meters.
“The oil spill was already enclosed by a spill boom. The vessel crew and Hanjin personnel are recovering the spilled oil using rags and rubber foams, and putting them into empty drums,” he said.
He said they have already sent safety officers to the site to monitor the oil spill. He said clean-up operations are being carried out.
Detergent
He said they were also using detergent to treat thin layers of spilled oil while additional spill booms had been installed in the area.
Assessments were ongoing on the damages to corals and other aquatic resources.
De la Llana confirmed that the Agusuhin area remained a fishing ground.
In December last year, a massive oil spill hit the coast of Semirara Island in Antique after a National Power Corp. (Napocor) power barge ran aground due to bad weather.
A team of scientists from the University of the Philippines in the Visayas (UPV), quoting preliminary results of a UPV-commissioned comprehensive study on the impact of the oil spill, said the social and environmental impact would range from a low of P22 million to billions of pesos.
The research team conducted studies on the island on Feb. 6-10 and March 9-13 to determine the impact of the oil spill on mangroves, sea grass and shells. It also assessed the socio-economic impact of the Dec. 18 oil spill.
The Napocor, in earlier reports, said it would shoulder the cost of the cleanup and damage and provide compensation and alternative livelihood to the affected residents.
An estimated 364,120 liters of bunker fuel spilled near Sitio Bobog, Barangay Semirara, the biggest of the island’s three villages. The spill is considered the biggest in the country’s history.
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—The South Korean shipbuilding firm Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co. has been slapped a notice of violation for last Saturday’s oil spill on Subic Bay, and fined $5,000 (P265,150) daily until a complete clean up has been undertaken.
The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority’s ecology center issued the notice on Tuesday. It was addressed to Hak Kon Kim, project director for HHIC’s 230-hectare shipyard on Redondo Peninsula.
At least 400 liters of fuel oil spilled on the bay’s water as the company’s barge, the LCT (land craft transport) Consing sank while berthed at Sitio Agusuhin in Barangay Cawag in Subic town, SBMA ecology chief Amethya dela Llana said in a phone interview.
De la Llana said the area, which the HHIC was using as a mooring site, belonged to the jurisdiction of the SBMA.
HHIC, she said, violated the SBMA rules on prevention, containment, abatement and control of marine pollution. The rules prescribe $5,000 as penalty for the first offense.
Requirements
De la Llana also ordered Hak to immediately submit an incident report, conduct cleanup and recovery operations and submit an oil spill contingency plan.
The LCT, which came from MV Stella Cosmos, was transporting steel sheet piles to the construction site of Hanjin in Sitio Agusuhin when it went under water.
Gregorio Royol, head of SBMA seaport department’s port operations division, said the oil spill covered about 1,500 square meters.
“The oil spill was already enclosed by a spill boom. The vessel crew and Hanjin personnel are recovering the spilled oil using rags and rubber foams, and putting them into empty drums,” he said.
He said they have already sent safety officers to the site to monitor the oil spill. He said clean-up operations are being carried out.
Detergent
He said they were also using detergent to treat thin layers of spilled oil while additional spill booms had been installed in the area.
Assessments were ongoing on the damages to corals and other aquatic resources.
De la Llana confirmed that the Agusuhin area remained a fishing ground.
In December last year, a massive oil spill hit the coast of Semirara Island in Antique after a National Power Corp. (Napocor) power barge ran aground due to bad weather.
A team of scientists from the University of the Philippines in the Visayas (UPV), quoting preliminary results of a UPV-commissioned comprehensive study on the impact of the oil spill, said the social and environmental impact would range from a low of P22 million to billions of pesos.
The research team conducted studies on the island on Feb. 6-10 and March 9-13 to determine the impact of the oil spill on mangroves, sea grass and shells. It also assessed the socio-economic impact of the Dec. 18 oil spill.
The Napocor, in earlier reports, said it would shoulder the cost of the cleanup and damage and provide compensation and alternative livelihood to the affected residents.
An estimated 364,120 liters of bunker fuel spilled near Sitio Bobog, Barangay Semirara, the biggest of the island’s three villages. The spill is considered the biggest in the country’s history.
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