Ship With No Permit Causes ‘Nightmare’ Philippine Oil Spill
- Cleanup likely to take three to four months, contractor says
- Slick has affected 108,000 individuals including fisherfolk
Oil slick along a shoreline in Pola, Mindoro on March 8.
Photographer: Ezra Acayan/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The Philippines is grappling with the fallout of an oil spill south of Manila, with a contractor describing the cleanup as a “logistical nightmare” amid questions on why the ship carrying industrial fuel was able to sail without a permit.
The cleanup will likely take three to four months, with fuel quickly spreading to hard-to-reach areas, Ricardo Rodrigo Bella, vice president at Philippine-listed Harbor Star Shipping Services Inc., said in a phone interview on Monday. The company has to wait for inputs from several local governments and agencies before it can start work, he said.