Japan dispatched a disaster-relief expert team to the Philippines to look into the oil-spill disaster in Oriental Mindoro.

Arriving in Manila on 10 March, the team collaborated with the Philippine Coast Guard to assess the extent of damage and guide its ongoing oil removal and control.

“We hope that the support from the Japanese government will contribute in preventing further oil contamination and restoring the marine environment in the affected areas,” Japanese Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa said.

The team consists of eight members: two from the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines; five, Japan Coast Guard; three, National Strike Team (an expert unit in oil removal); one, Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Also, granting the amicable request of the Philippine government, equipment (such as oil blotters, oil snares, and oil-proof working gloves) were transported to the Philippines.

The Japanese are considering providing additional supplies.

The disaster was caused by a small tanker that submerged off the coast of Mindoro Island on 28 February, leaking cargo fuel and diesel oil into the waters in the area.

Coastal regions, such as the Oriental Mindoro, have banned fisheries and observed oil sludge reaching the shores of fishing villages and mangrove forests,the damages gravely affecting the livelihood of approximately 65,000 residents.