Oil spill along Mariveles coastline now 'oil sheen' - MENRO
Mariveles MENRO conducted follow-up inspection over oil spill-turned-oil sheen along Sitio Naswe coastline in Barangay Ipag, Mariveles, Bataan on 7 November, around 7:30 a.m.
Photo Courtesy of Mariveles MENRO
The oil spill along the coastline of Sitio Naswe, Barangay Ipag, in the town of Mariveles, Bataan, has been reduced to an “oil sheen,” with the affected area now contained, the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) reported on Saturday.
“The situation right now is that the oil spill is contained. It is not an oil spill anymore, it is just an oil sheen. The area is already contained,” Mariveles MENRO Officer-in-Charge Engr. Clay Aldrex Gomez said in One Balita Pilipinas Weekend interview.
Gomez said authorities had recovered 76 sacks of oily materials, each weighing approximately 20 kilograms, bringing the total recovered material to around 1,520 kilograms as of Friday.
The MENRO OIC added that the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) conducted an aerial inspection of the affected area, including nearby coastal waters, at around 11 a.m. on Saturday.
“We are also checking if there are other [similar] cases of [oil spill]. The DENR-CENRO [Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Community Environment and Natural Resources Office] is also here. They are looking at the environmental aspect of this incident,” Gomez said.
“Definitely, there is [someone responsible for the oil spill] but let us wait for the investigation of the Philippine Coast Guard,” the engineer added.
MENRO Mariveles reported that no additional oil leakage or spread was observed during a follow-up inspection conducted Saturday morning with the PCG and other government agencies.
Initial PCG findings on Friday indicated that approximately 25 liters of used oil had affected around 500 meters of coastal waters in Sitio Naswe.
Gomez said the local government of Mariveles is coordinating with affected fisherfolks following the oil spill incident.