February 5, 2006
coal spill!
What’s taking the authorities to move the barge full of coal from Agno waters?
It is already one and a half months since LCT Fishner owned by Asian Shipping Corporation grounded off Macaboboni village in this town. But the barge is still there. Authorities – Philippine Coast Guard, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the local police – have been “visiting” the “accident site” and investigated what happened yet seemingly they are helpless.
Of course, the owners of the barge may be losing money each day the barge is grounded, but is it doing to float and sail the barge away fast?
I was informed that some 300 cubic meters of coals have been spilled from the barge and this could wreak havoc on the marine environment. What if the 4,564 metric tons of coal carried by the barge all spilled over to the sea?
Is coal spill less disastrous than oil spill?
Calling on environmental activists out there!
(a story on the grounded barge was posted on this blog earlier)
Comments
February 7, 2006
John Vincent said:
Please don't mistake this incident with an oil spill.
In fact that cannot be considered a coal spill. To set your facts straight, what happened in Agno Bay was LCT Eisner (please take note) running aground due to foul weather conditions and heavy swell in the area, which resulted in some coal getting washed out. While these washed out coal may be a sight for sore eyes, they can easily be retrieved. Though oil and coal have the same origin (such as prehistoric organisms), that's just about where their similarities end. The fact that oil is liquid makes its dispersal in water dangerous and quite hard to retrieve. I've been there and I can tell you that the reports are exagerrated.
At the same time, the proponent is trying everything to mitigate the situation. They're are only waiting for a high tide so they can set LCT Eisner afloat, which is now trapped in shallow waters, and the fact that the vicinity is characterized by high waves must also be considered.
In spite of the incident, no oil sheen can be seen within the vicinity, and clear waters are still evident. The incident cannot be considered as highly dangerous compared to an oil spill.