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Our company would bring in a Japanese salvage company Fukada Salvage &
Marine Works Co., Ltd. to inspect the sunken vessel M/T Solar 1 which is
estimated to be under 640 meters of water (2,100 feet).
The salvage ship of Fukada is based in Okinawa, Japan. It will take 3 days for
it to reach the site of Guimaras Island. It is equipped with state of the art
monitoring equipment that provides images of the vessel at the ocean floor as
it is scanned utilizing a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV).
We have been coordinating with the Protection and Indemnity Club (P&I), the
marine insurance of Sunshine Maritime, which will pay for the engagement.
Petron will also assist in securing customs and other government clearances.
Our aerial surveys indicate that the leak has stopped, but we are still
concerned about the possibility that the oil remaining in the vessel will
continue to be released into the environment. With the arrival of the ship, we
hope to establish the real condition of Solar 1 and put to rest all this
speculation.
The result of the underwater survey will dictate the next course of action we
are going to take.
At sea, we have deployed equipment which includes W.I.S.E. (Waterborne Industry
Spill Response) tugboats, oil spill booms, absorbent pads, oil skimmers,
dispersants, etc. Four oil spill response teams have been assisting in clean-up
operations.
We have likewise been very active on the ground, helping in clean-up operations
onshore. Under a "Cash-for-Work" scheme, we have been employing an average of
740 people daily. As of August 22, the clean-up teams have already cleared 25
kilometers of shoreline and it is estimated that it will take 30-45 days for
the clean-up to be completed.
Lastly, we are looking at developing long-term solutions to
rehabilitate damaged areas in close partnership with University of the
Philippines-Visayas, World Wildlife Fund, and Silliman University. We are
committed to stay in Guimaras as long as necessary.
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