Limay, Bataan — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) conducted the final inspection of the sunken tanker MTKR Terranova last Thursday.
According to PCG Marine Environmental Protection Command (MEPCOM) commander Vice Admiral Roy Echeverria, the salvor — Harbor Star — reported that 1,415,954 liters of oil were recovered, including 17,725 kilograms of solid oily waste.
These figures account for the variance volume, indicating a 97.43 percent recovery rate.
“The remaining 37,867 liters, accounting for 2.57 percent of the total oil cargo, were lost due to factors such as biodegradation, dissipation, absorption, and unpumpable sludge,” Echeverria said.
According to the Incident Command Post, Harbor Star also conducted the final stripping operation to ensure empty cargo oil tanks (COTs).
“This procedure is essential to confirm the removal of residual oil and to prevent leakage or oil contamination for the upcoming salvage operation,” the Incident Command Post said.
Bataan Governor Jose Enrique Garcia III; Major General Armando Corpuz (Ret.) from the Office of Civil Defense; National Operation Center for Oil Pollution Director, Commodore Glenda Pereyra PCG; Coast Guard Station Bataan Commander, Lieutenant Commander Michael John Encina PCG; Arvin Catipon from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and other local government unit representatives also joined the final inspection.