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Mon 7 Jul 2008, 11:30 GMT

Phlippines acts to avoid bunker spill


Coast Guard discusses strategies to prevent capsized ferry from leaking bunker fuel off Sibuyan.

Preparations are being made in the Philippines to ensure that the refloating of the capsized MV Princess of the Stars does not result in an environmental disasted with bunker fuel being leaked into the water, GMA News reports.

The Philippine Coast Guard and Sulpicio Lines - the owner of the capsized ferry which sank on June 22nd carrying more than 740 people on board - have met to map out plans to make sure that the 230,000 litres of bunker fuel and 1,000 litres of super fuel on board the vessel do not leak when the vessel is refloated off the island of Sibuyan.

Fears of a massive oil spill complicated early efforts to recover bodies from inside the ferry. Speaking on June 24th Vice President of the Philippines Noli de Castro said "If we siphon off the fuel the ferry could tilt and fall over [spilling fuel], complicating rescue and recovery efforts further."

De Castro asked the general public to be patient saying "the important thing is we do things correctly... if we do it quickly, there might be a bigger disaster."

The Coast Guard has already put booms in place to contain the oil spill within the vicinity of the capsized ship.

Meanwhile, San Fernando town Mayor Nanette Tansngco has said at least four villages in the town are most likely to be affected if bunker fuel leaks from the ship during re-floating. Tansngco held an emergency meeting last Friday with members of the Philippine Coast Guard to discuss strategies in case of an oil spill.

The four villages most likely to be affected by a bunker spill would be Taclobo, España, Poblacion, and Pili.

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