Still zero contamination but retrieve toxic cargo ASAP

Tag : Leakage Transformer

SAYS PRINCESS TASK FORCE CHIEF
Still zero contamination but retrieve toxic cargo ASAP

By Cynthia Balana
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:49:00 06/28/2008


MANILA, Philippines -- A team of salvage experts with high-techgadgets from Singapore is on their way to Sibuyan Island in Romblonto extract a container van containing 10 metric tons ofhighly-toxic pesticide from the M/V Princess of the Stars,Transportation and Communications Secretary Maria Elena Bautistasaid Saturday.
Interviewed by Vice-President Noli de Castro on his weekly radioshow, Para Sa Iyo, Bayan, Bautista who is head of Task Force M/VPrincess of the Stars, said the experts who will conduct underwatersurveillance of the ship left noon with two tons of equipment andcutting machines to remove 425 boxes (10,000 kilos) of endosulfan,a pesticide used for growing pineapples which is being imported bypineapple growers Del Monte and Dole.
We want to...get the cargo out by Wednesday or Thursday at thelatest. If we can get the job done Monday or Tuesday, so much thebetter. Once the endosulfan is removed, that's the only time thesearch operations for survivors and bodies can resume, Bautistasaid.
She said the experts will bring with them a barge carrying a craneso they can lift from the capsized ship the container van, which,based on Sulpicio Lines' stowage plan is around 120 to 140 feetunder the sea.
Bautista also said the experts with protective suits will takevideo footages of the vessel and then decide how best to get thetoxic chemical from inside the ferry. They will then present thisto the task force.
According to Bautista, the strategy may involve boring a hole onthe ship and then lifting the container van of endosulfan using thecrane.
"More or less, we have an idea where the container is located ...The barge will then lift the container and [we] turn it over to theFertilizer and Pesticide Authority for proper disposal," she said.
Bautista said that the experts were highly-recommended by those whoare in the know in the industry as far as retrieval operation wasconcerned.
Very critical ang timing kaya kailangan magawa agad (Timing iscritical which is why the retrieval needs to be done immediately),she said.
Bautista said that based on the report of toxicologists, it wasstill zero contamination as far as the pesticide was concerned.
She expressed hope that the container van is still intact sincethis would reduce the risk of chemical poisoning.
De Castro said there was a need to exercise caution in removing thecontainer as a tiny leak would spell a big problem.
Asked by De Castro if there were other chemicals on board, Bautistasaid that based on the cargo manifest, Bautista said there werealso 36 drums of asphalt and another shipment of transformers beingused in electricity.
She also said there were brand new cars for delivery to the ownerslike Ford and Toyota.
Bautista said there was an immediate need to also remove the drumsof asphalt and transformers as their presence was critical.
The search for hundreds of bodies feared trapped has been postponeduntil next week while officials try to remove 10 tons of toxicpesticide from the vessel.
M/V Princess of the Stars ran aground last Saturday during atyphoon and then overturned in about 15 minutes off Sibuyan islandin central Philippines. The vessel had 865 passengers and crew.
Officials said on Saturday that water samples taken from the seaoff Sibuyan island showed there had been no contamination but afishing ban around the area was maintained.
At the Senate, Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the PhilippineNational Red Cross, appealed to local government officials not tobury bodies of suspected sea mishap victims to enable their properidentification.
"Do not bury the bodies until we have properly identified each andevery one of them. The Red Cross will pick them up and transportthem to Manila. By identifying the bodies, this will help giveclosure to the families of the victims," Gordon said.
Gordon made the appeal after he was informed that some mayors hadordered the burial of bodies found in their towns.
He requested Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales for help in securing acourt order for the exhumation of bodies of sea mishap victimswhich may have already been buried. This is so that the bodies canbe transported to Manila for proper identification.
Gordon has confirmed the availability of 25-seater helicopters fromMalampaya contractors that will transport bodies as well assurvivors from provinces hit by typhoon "Frank" to Manila.
He said he had requested Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes to securethe commitment of the Malampaya contractors for the use of theirhelicopters.