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Tue 14 Oct 2008, 11:10 GMT

Bunker fuel extraction almost complete


Retrieval of marine fuel from capsized ship expected to take 'three to four days'.

The Philippine Coast Guard has said that it expects to complete the extraction of bunker fuel this week from the capsized MV Princess of the Stars, which sank on June 22nd carrying more than 740 people on board.

In an interview on DZBB radio, Coast Guard commandant Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo is reported to have said "We expect to finish extracting the bunker fuel in three to four days from now. After that we can start retrieving the remains of our countrymen trapped inside the ship."

Fears of a massive oil spill complicated early efforts to recover bodies from inside the ferry in June. 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."

In his radio interview this week Tamayo said the retrieval of bunker fuel was 30 percent complete. Some 250,000 liters of bunker fuel were said to be still inside the capsized vessel. This figure contrasts with estimates in July, when it was calculated that 230,000 litres of bunker fuel and 1,000 litres of super fuel were still on board the vessel.

The Coast Guard has also stationed divers near the Princess of the Stars in order to be able to take precautionary measures in case of an oil spill.

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