MikeLigalig.com

http://www.solarnews.ph/
By Joyce Ilas
Mon, August 19, 2013



The oil spill from sunken passenger ship M/V St. Thomas Aquino has reached coastal barangays in the town of Cordova and in the cities of Lapu-lapu and Talisay on Monday, Aug. 19, 2013.


The Cebu Provincial Board placed on Monday its entire province under a state of calamity shortly after the oil spill from a sunken passenger ship reached coastal barangays in the town of Cordova and in the cities of Lapu-lapu and Talisay.

The passenger vessel, the M/V St. Thomas Aquinas, sank after it collided with cargo vessel MV Sulpicio Express Siete on Friday evening just off the port of Cebu.

Cebu Vice Governor Agnes Magpale said that the oil spill contaminated fish cages in Barangay Bangbang in Cordova, killing at least 100 lapu-lapu (grouper), while five other fishing villages complained about a significant drop in their daily catch following the spill.

The calamity fund of Cebu will be used to assist affected fishermen and to buy chemicals needed to contain the oil spill.

Meanwhile, the management of the 2GO Group Inc., owner of M/V St. Thomas Aquinas, assureds the public that would do its best to address the spill.

Lito Salvio, 2GO assistant vice president, said four Japanese technical divers and an expert from the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited would fly to Cebu on Monday to assess the situation.

The shipping firm also engaged the services of a Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp., which deployed tugboats to help contain the oil spill.

Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III said 13 bodies were retrieved Monday morning, bringing the number of fatalities to 52, while 68 passengers remained missing.

By late afternoon the number of fatalities had risen to 56.
Davide said the search-and-rescue and search-and-retrieveal operations would still continue.

He said rescuers would scour nearby islands and coastal towns for survivors, while divers would continue to retrieve bodies still trapped underwater with the vessel.