Oil Spill Pollution

8/12/2019 Oil Spill Pollution

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OILPOLLUTION

S u b m i t t e d b y :

R o n d e z , J e r r y l

B r i t a n i c o , R o n a L e i n e

L a v a r i a s , A n g e l o G o n z a l o

U n i v e r s i t y o f t h e E a s t

C o l l e g e o f L a w

1 - B - 2

S u b m i t t e d t o :

A t t y . J a c k A n d r e w M i r a n d a

2 / 2 8 / 2 0 1 4

Laws on Natural

Resources and

Environment

This report is about oil spill

pollution on water. This will

provide the reader the history,issues, effects, clean-up, laws and

agencies involved.


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The case:

On August 9, 2006, M/T Solar I containing 2,203,629 cubic meters ofbunker oil left from the Petron Bataan refinery for Zamboanga City. On August11, 2006, M/T Solar I arrived at the anchorage area of Iloilo City where it went

through a series of inspections before leaving for Zamboanga City. After passingthrough the Guimaras Strait, the tanker encountered very rough seas and startedtilting from 15 to 25 degrees to the starboard side. When the condition becameworse, the crew of M/T Solar I abandoned ship. The tanker eventually sank. OnAugust 13, 2006, an undetermined large quantity of oil slick was found in theGuimaras Strait.

What is Oil Spill?

Definition

An oil spill is the release of aliquidpetroleumhydrocarbon into the

environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a

form of pollution. The term is usually applied tomarine oil spills, where oil is

released into theocean orcoastal waters, but spills may also occur on

land. Oil spills may be due to releases ofcrude oil fromtankers,offshore

platforms,drilling rigs andwells, as well as spills ofrefined petroleum

products (such asgasoline,diesel) and their by-products, heavier fuels

used by large ships such asbunker fuel, or the spill of any oily refuse

orwaste oil.

How do spills happen?

Oil spills into rivers, bays, and the ocean are caused by accidents

involving tankers, barges, pipelines, refineries, and storage facilities.

Spills can be caused by:

people making mistakes or being careless. equipment breaking down. natural disasters such as hurricanes. deliberate acts by terrorists, countries at war, vandals, or illegal dumpers.

Oil floats on saltwater (the ocean) and usually floats on freshwater (riversand lakes). Very heavy oil can sometimes sink in freshwater, but this

happens very rarely. Oil usually spreads out rapidly across the water

surface to form a thin layer that we call an oil slick. As the oil continues

spreading, the layer becomes thinner and thinner, finally becoming a very

thin layer called a sheen, which often looks like a rainbow. (You may have

seen sheens on roads or parking lots after a rain.)

Depending on the circumstances, oil spills can be very harmful to marine

birds and mammals and also can harm fish and shellfish. You may have

seen dramatic pictures of oiled birds and sea otters that have beenaffected by oil spills. Oil destroys the insulating ability of fur-bearing

mammals, such as sea otters, and the water-repelling abilities of a bird's

feathers, thus exposing these creatures to the harsh elements. Many birds

and animals also ingest (swallow) oil when they try to clean themselves,

which can poison them. Depending on just where and when a spill
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happens, from a few up to hundreds or thousands of birds and mammals

can be killed or injured.

Then what happens?

EFFECTS OF OIL SPILL

SPILL CHARACTERISTICS

The quantity and type of oil determine, to a great extent but not

exclusively, the significance on the marine environment.

A spill of several thousand tonnes will cause a lot more damage to

the aquatic environment than a spill ten times smaller, although the type

of oil will play a significant part in the nature and extent of any damage

caused.

A spill of heavy fuel oil is likely to cause much more damage than a

crude oil spill of a corresponding size. A spill of a slightly evaporable

substance will in the same way be more damaging for the sea and

foreshore than a spill of a highly evaporable substance.

The duration of spillage also plays an important role. A sudden

violent release will concentrate the effects on a smaller area than a long,

slow leak. Furthermore, if the effects are brutal, they may not be as likely

to last as long.

The spill location is a fundamental factor in its impact. A spill in the

open sea will lead to limited impact spread over a very vast length of

shoreline, over a long period, whereas a spill on the coast will have

massive effect over a more limited distance.

IMPACT

Oil slicks particularly affect organisms which come to the breed,

dive into the water or just near the water surface. Oiling can interfere

physically with the organisms movement, feeding and other actions. Oil

slicks also have repercussions for floating solid wastes, navigation buoys,

vessels, fishing gears, shellfish farming, rafts, net pens and so on.

Oil slicks affect birds and mammals. The oiling of bird feathers

causes a loss of thermal insulation, buoyancy and lift. For mammals, it

leads the risk of ingestion of oil which can impair their metabolism. Animals

with affected filtering mechanisms can ingest enough oil to suffer a toxic

effect while being incapable of feeding.

Oiling in the open sea also affects the surface layers of plankton.

Plankton is the first element in the food chain which large marine

mammals feed on.

When an oil spill reaches the shoreline, or occurs near the coast, the

phenomena of soiling and coating in oil can have an impact on the


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populations in the intertidal zone and the various human activities which

takes place by the sea.

Depending on the type of shoreline, the impact can range from

being relatively limited to, at the other end of the spectrum, extremely

dramatic. The sensitivity of different substrates to oil varies considerably,

from rocky coasts to pebble beaches, gravel, coarse grain sands, fine

grain sands, marshland, coral reefs and so on.

Fine grain sand beach oil tend to retain oil, as the oil is too viscous

to penetrate in to the depths through the fine spaces. Oil may

accumulate along the high tide mark and be covered over with a layer

of clean sand of varying thickness.

Beach growth may cause layers of oil to be covered with sand,

creating alternate layers. Buried oil is very problematic as the layers of oil

may be uncovered by waves and swept away to pollute other areas.

Repeated pollution incidents can have serious impact on living

coral reefs caused by tides and swell. Some of the many species of fish,

invertebrates and marine algae which live in coral habitats can be

severely impaired even if the coral itself has only suffered mildly.

The arrival of oil at the shoreline can be detrimental to may human

activities. Leisure activities are absolutely affected. Going to the beach,

swimming in the sea, recreational fishing, diving, surfing, sailing, all

became impossible amongst oil slicks causing economic and social

consequences which can be significant in popular tourist regions. Port

activities may also be interrupted when booms must be deployed to

protect the vessels in port.

Aquaculture production at sea is inevitable affected. Coastal

fishermen can no longer use their nets and other gears. The equipment

that they cannot retrieve in time, or may have attempted to use, may be

soiled.

If the impact is mild and transient, it may generate only a slight

inconvenience. If it is more serious, it can paralyse activities until clean up

is complete, or impose the destruction of stocks destined for future

production.

RESPONSE AND CLEANUP EXPENSES

Responses specialists, bird and mammal salvage teams,

professionals and volunteers gather in the area affected by oil spill.Specialized equipment and operators are called upon for responses and

clean-up. This major mobilisation of human and technical resources

requires considerable, complex financing. The use of private means for

slick surveillance and response at sea and on land, adds further

expenditure which can rapidly reach immense sums.


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Recovery at sea and onshore is always difficult and very partial.

Lightering, which involves transferring the cargo of oil from a stricken

vessel into another vessel or a barge, is the best way of preventing or

reducing pollution. For this it may be necessary to call upon extra vessels

or on extra equipment airlifted by helicopter onto the vessel in difficulty.Simple transfer pump units may be sufficient, however sometimes more

complex systems incorporating safety devices, heating mechanisms and

water injection, for viscous oils ambient temperatures, may be necessary.

INITIAL CLEAN UP

The first stage of shoreline clean-up aims to remove the maximum

amount of pollutant from the shoreline to stop it being reclaimed by the

sea, via waves and tides, and contaminating other sites. This first stage of

clean-up requires different techniques depending on the pollutant andwhether it is floating at waters edge or has washed up onto the beach.

Skimming, pumping and suction are the most common response

options in the event of a major oil spill by a fluid pollutant that has formed

large accumulations. These operations can be carried out using

agricultural pumps, slurry spreaders, sanitation trucks, as well as pumps

and pump-tanks specifically designed for oil. This equipment can be

complemented by surface scraping carried out by the public works

machinery or specifically adapted scraper/skimmer mechanisms.

The use of a technique known as flushing, involving washing using

low pressure hoses remobilises fresh clusters of pollutant deposited on the

surface or trapped in the crevices of rocks in order to channel them to a

collection point.

The technique of flooding, the saturation of a beach with water,

involves creating a flow from the upper part of the foreshore to flood the

area of sand that needs washing. This can be put in place using a

perforated pipe, parallel to the waters edge that is supplied with

seaweed by a high flow pump. The flow sweeps away the freed pollutant

with additional aid from hoses. Lighter pollutants float on the water, where

they can be contained by a boom and recovered.

Surf washing involves moving polluted pebbles or sand down to the

waters edge and depositing them in piles at low tide, to expose them to

wave action. The waves free the pollutant trapped in the grains of sand or

stuck to pebbles, ensuring natural washing by abrasion and collision. The

waves disperse the piles and redistribute the sediments over the beach

with the following tides. The freed pollutant is deposited on the surface,above the sediments. It can be recovered by hand or caught using nets.


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MANUAL RECOVERY

Manual recovery is systematically carried out whatever the

pollutant, the site and the extent of the pollution. It is often the main, if not

the only, means used in the event of small-scale or scattered pollution. It

remains one of the most common options used to respond to a major spill.

It is particularly well adapted to scattered bleaching in the form of freshly

deposited tar balls or patties, before they are covered over or sink into the

sediments. Manual recovery is the method used by default on sites where

all other techniques are impossible, either through limited accessibility for

equipment or because of the local environments high level of sensitivity.

FINAL CLEAN-UP

Once the main part of the pollution has been cleared away and all risks

of new arrivals of pollutant eliminated, thefinal clean-up phase can

begin. Even if the sea naturally completes the operation, final clean-up by

man is necessary when:

The estimated timeframe for self-cleaning is incompatible with theeconomic or aesthetic constraints of the site (e.g. a popular tourist

site during the pre-summer or summer season)

The pollution may have a major impact on living, natural orcultivated resources or may become a source of chronic

contamination.

The basic principle of final clean-up is to take advantage as far aspossible of natural clean-up processes and only to recreate these

processes where they prove to be of limited efficiency. The main

mechanical, chemical and biological self-cleaning processes are:

cleaning by wave action, the impact freeing fresh oil from surfaces

as well as, on highly exposed sites, scouring the residues by abrasion

of pebbles and rocks

mixing polluted sediment by waves, separating the oil trapped in

the sediment and placing it in suspension

washing fluid oil through the sediment by forced percolation,with

receding waves or the outgoing tide

the effect of ultraviolet rays which destroy hydrocarbon films

the activity of bacteria and micro-organisms which are capable of

breaking down hydrocarbons.

WHEN TO STOP CLEANING

The level of clean-up required and the urgency of completing it are

dictated by the ecological sensitivity of the site, its uses and the season.

Some members of the general public will always demand that the site be

cleaned of the last trace of pollutant. However, this spotless cleaning,
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although satisfying, can cause more damage to the environment than

the pollution itself. It is therefore necessary to assess the advantages and

disadvantages of the available techniques and not to dismiss the option

of natural completion.

In practice, any pollutant which may be remobilised, andconstitutes a potential source of recontamination, should first be removed

wherever possible. Once this risk has been eliminated, we must then

question the utility of further intervention. Except in particular cases, such

as popular tourist beaches, the aim is not to remove all traces of oil, but

rather to provide the environment with the most favourable conditions for

rapid reinstatement of populations and restoration of socio economic

activities, ensuring that the remaining pollutant is not harmful to the

ecological niche or the sites use.

Laws Involved:

RA No. 9483 June 2, 2007 "Oil Pollution Compensation Act of 2007" RA No. 9275 March 22, 2004 Philippine Clear Water Act of 2004 PRESIDENTIAL DECREE No. 979 August 18, 1976 Marine Pollution Decree of

1976which amended Presidential Decree No. 600 December 9, 1974

Marine Pollution Decree of 1974

Philippine Oil Contingency Planheaded by the Philippine coast guard tobe responsible for preventing and controlling marine pollution in territorial

sea.

HOUSE BILL No. 4607 - An Act requiring oil companies to install oil spillagepreventive and control mechanisms in their tankers and to undertake

immediate response/cleaning operations in the event of oil spills within the

countrys territorial waters.

Agencies Involved:

Government Agencies Concerned:

Department of Environment and Natural Resources To ensure thesafety of our natural environment and natural resources and to

maximize its usage in time of widespread oil spill.

Department of Healthto ensure the safety and health concerns ofthe people living or surrounds the area of the oil spill

Department of Science and Technologyto suggest different kindsof technology on how to prevent a widespread oilspill and how to

clean it up.

Department of Tourism to ensure the safety of the tourist livingaround the affected area and to ensure our tourist will not be

affected by the oil spill.

Department of Education to educate the people on how toprevent a massive widespread of the oil spill.


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BUREAUS:

Ecosystems Research and Development Bureauto ensure that wehave still a balance ecosystem despite of the effect of the oil spill

and how to further more develop our ecosystem after the spill.

Environment Management Bureau to ensure the correctmanagement of our environment in times of disaster.

Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau to ensure the safety andsecurity of the inhabitants of the sea or ocean covering the spill and

to further more protect the protected area in times of spill.

For more information, see annexes A, B and C.

OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES:

Philippine Coast Guard enforce law through Philippine waters,conducting maritime security operations, and protecting marine

species and environment. See Annex E Philippine Coast Guard

Law of 2009

Marine environmental protection command is a unit of Philippinecoast guard , is the point of contact for oil spill response and

operations and comprises the National Operations Center for Oil

Pollution (NOCOP). The nocop serves as the national on-scene

commander and able to request assistance from other

government.

History

Philippines

The Guimaras oil spilloccurred in thePanay Gulf on August 11, 2006,

when theoil tanker M/T Solar 1sank off the coast

ofGuimaras andNegrosIslands in thePhilippines, causing what is

considered as the worstoil spill in the Philippines.

Background:Theoil tanker M/T Solar 1, carrying more than two million liters of bunker

fuel, sank during a violent storm approximately 20.5 kilometres (12.7 mi) off

the southern coast ofGuimaras at around midnight on August 11,

2006,[4]causing some 500,000 litres (110,000 imp gal; 130,000 US gal) of oil

to pour into the gulf, that traveled up through theGuimaras

Strait andIloilo Strait.Siphoning the remaining 1.5 million liters from the

sunken tanker, at a depth of more than 600 metres (2,000 ft), was

scheduled for March 2007.

The oil spill adversely affectedmarine

sanctuaries andmangrovereserves in three out of fivemunicipalities inGuimaras Island and reached the shores ofIloilo andNegros Occidental.

The oil spill occurred in the Guimaras Strait that connects theVisayan

Sea with theSulu Sea,and is considered a rich fishing ground that supplies

most of the demand for the entire country. (NDCC, August 2006)
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Haribon sent two biologists to Guimaras to assess the damage and talk to

the affected communities regarding their immediate needs. Haribon

provided assistance particularly for the long-term rehabilitation of the

area. The government evacuated the affected families who had been

exposed to the toxic elements of thecrude oil. According to reports

gathered in the field, people contracted skin diseases associated withthese elements.

Causes:

Several causes have been cited, including bad weather andhuman

error. Allegations have been made stating that the tanker only had a

capacity of 1.2 million liters, implying the possibility of overloading.[5]Other

investigations have claimed that the ship's Captain was not qualified to

sail the vessel.

Effects:

The spill damaged Taklong Island National Marine Reserve, a marine

sanctuary for feeding and breeding ground for fish and other species. The

oil slick also posed a threat to theblue crab industry in the municipality

ofEnrique B. Magalona inNegros Occidental.

Dr. Jose Ingles, eco-region coordinator of theWorld Wide Fund for

Nature in the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, said that the damage

may be felt by at least two generations. He warned that the disaster may

have damaged the reefs and mangroves, scarring the ecosystem and

causing seafood yields to significantly decrease. According to him, the

worst hit would be the shorelines, the coasts and the swamplands withmangroves. This will greatly impact the livelihood of the fishermen, mostly

living in poor conditions.[7]

In the south-southeast of the spill site is located theSulu Sea,a deep-water

area frequented by commercially valued fish such asBlue marlin and

theYellowfin tuna, prized by the towns of southern Negros Occidental

province as an important source of income for the communities. The oil

slick may damage this thriving local industry.

On August 22, 2006, thePhilippine Coast Guard stated that the spill has

affected 20 communities in 4 municipalities in Guimaras. It also

threatened 27 communities inIloilo province and 17 others inNegrosOccidental.[8]

Casualties

A villager from Barangay Lapaz,Nueva Valencia, Guimaras,became the

first casualty directly affected by the spill. He died after inhaling the fumes

of the oil sludge caused him to contract cardio-respiratory disease.[8]Two

sailors from the ship were also reported missing.

Response

Due to the extent of the disaster, the cleanup was expected to reachthree years.

Local response

On August 19, the Philippine government has asked the governments

ofIndonesia,Japan and theUnited States to help assist with the cleanup.
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PresidentGloria Macapagal-Arroyo created Task Force Guimaras on

August 22 in order to oversee both the cleanup of the oil spill and the

retrieval of the 1.5 million liters of fuel oil still remaining inside the tanker.

The government also ordered the creation of the Special Board of Marine

Inquiry to determine who and what caused the spill.

Guimaras Governor JC Rahman Nava has objected to the proposal of

disposing the oil wastes within the province.

Clemente Cancio, President of Sunshine Maritime Development

Corporation (SMDC), the company which owns M/T Solar I, said that their

foreign insurer is willing to pay the cost of damage brought about by the

oil spill.

President Gloria Arroyo ordered a full investigation into the country's worst

oil spill that devastated marine ecosystems in the central Philippines.

Arroyo also ordered the Justice Department to join a special task force

heading an investigation and clean-up on the island of Guimaras, wheresome 300 kilometers (190 mi) of coastline, including stretches of pristine

beaches, had been affected by the oil slick from the sunken tanker. "We

shall do everything in our power to right the wrongs caused by this

unfortunate incident," Arroyo said after visiting the island, adding that she

was deeply pained by the disaster that she declared a "national

calamity".

International response

On August 17,British oil experts, sent by SMDC's foreign insurer, arrived in

Guimaras to assess the situation. SMDC stated that the experts will check

the extent of the oil pollution. The Britons conducted an aerial surveyoverGuimaras Island and made recommendations based on their

findings.

A four-man team from theU.S. Coast Guard arrived on August 23 to assist

in determining the exact location of the tanker.

CEBU CITY, Philippines, August 23, 2013 (ENS)Oil from the collision of two

vessels off the coast of Cebu Province that killed dozens of people last

Friday is still spreading to nearby shorelines as government workers and

local residents struggle to contain it.

The Sulpicio Express 7 shows the

damage from its collision with the

ferry St. Thomas Aquinas 1. (Photo

byLeylanR)

The Philippine Coast Guard

says the 2Go Shipping Lines ferry, MV

St. Thomas Aquinas 1, which sank

August 16 after colliding with thefreighter Sulpicio Express 7, was

carrying 120,000 liters of bunker oil, 20,000 liters of lube oil and 20,000 liters

of diesel oil. An unknown amount of these petroleum products has spilled

into the sea.

The ferry sank in waters off the coast of Talisay City, an

environmentally sustainable city that celebrates Earth Day. The coast of
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Macapagal-Arroyohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guimaras_provincehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guimaras_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Coast_Guardhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/mycebuphotoblog/9575698598/http://ens-newswire.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/20130823_sulpiciooutriggers.jpghttp://www.flickr.com/photos/mycebuphotoblog/9575698598/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Coast_Guardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guimaras_Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guimaras_provincehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Macapagal-Arroyo


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Cebu is known for its pristine waters and spectacular coral reefs that

attract dive tourists from around the world.

Chemical dispersants are being used to break up the spill, and

containment and absorbent booms have been deployed, but the oil was

spread by the torrential rains of a southwest monsoon worsened by

Tropical Storm Maring.Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr.

Gregory Fabic said oil spill clearing

operations off the coast started Thursday

morning.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and

Management Council says the oil spill

has so far affected 26 villages, in the

town of Cordova on Mactan island,

where five-star resorts line the shore.

Oily waves at Cordova, Cebu, Philippines, August 23, 2013 (Photo

byLeylanR)

The councils executive director, Eduardo del Rosario, said residents

and local disaster personnel have been collecting local materials such as

coconut husks, sawdust, chicken feathers and hair to help clean up the

oil.

The Cebu City DRRMC spearheaded mass haircut at Plaza Sugbu.

The provincial government and Cebu City local government requested

donations of indigenous materials for the containment of the oil spill, said

Del Rosario.

Even the world-famous Cebu Dancing Inmates are donating theirhair to help absorb the oil. The 1,600 inmates of the Cebu Provincial

Detention and Rehabilitation Center are getting their hair cut to fill an oil

spill boom. They hope it will absorb some of the oil and prevent it from

spreading further in the waters of Cordova.

Meanwhile, Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy is working with national

authorities on toxic and hazardous wastes disposal. Treatment and

storage disposal operator, Andrew Co, has provided Cordova with empty

barrels for the collection of spilled oil.

The oil also has blackened some aquaculture areas. There were fish

cages and seaweed farms that have been affected by the oil spill as wellas mangrove areas where shellfish are raised, said Asis Perez, director of

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources today after inspecting the spill

area.

The agency estimates that 1,750 fisherfolk in 13 coastal villages have

been affected by the spill.

The St. Thomas Aquinas ferry was carrying more than 800 passengers and

crew when the collision occurred off the city of Talisay in Cebu Province.

To date, the death toll stands at 76, with 44 others still missing.

Technical divers from the Philippine

Navy on their way to recover the

bodies of passengers and crew of the

ferry St. Thomas Aquinas 1 (Photo

courtesy Philippine Navy)
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Lieutenant Commander Noel Escalona, operations officer of Naval

Forces-Central, said 35 of the bodies were recovered from the sunken

ferry by specialized technical divers. Escalona said oil leaking from the

sunken ferry, strong water currents, strong winds and wave on the sea

surface and floating debris inside the ship have hampered their work.

The Province of Cebu declared a state of calamity on Monday.Today, the Philippines Coast Guards Special Board of Marine

Inquiry began investigating the incident at the headquarters of the Coast

Guard District Central Visayas in Cebu City.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, through its

Environmental Management Bureau, also will conduct a field investigation

to determine the extent of damage caused by the spill and collect water

samples for further laboratory tests, according to DENR-7 Information

Officer Dr. Eddie Llamedo.

The DENR team will assist the investigation led by the Philippine

Coast Guard.The captain of the St. Thomas of Aquinas submitted himself for an

initial investigation by the Special Board of Marine Inquiry today at the

Headquarters of the Coast Guard District Central Visayas in Cebu City.

Capt. Reynan Bermejo told the investigators that many attempts to

communicate with the Sulpicio Express 7 at Channel 16, the official radio

public frequency used by ships to communicate, were unanswered.

Bermejo said only radar contact was made with the approaching cargo

vessel.

Bermejo said he was inbound, while the Sulpicio Express 7 was

outbound with a point of collision on the inbound lane of the traffic

separation scheme.He said his vessel was trapped between shallow waters and the

outbound cargo vessel, which had moved into the inbound lane.

The 2Go company said the St. Thomas Aquinas was carrying mostly

agricultural products from Mindanao since the vessel came from Surigao

and Nasipit port. There were no cargoes marked as Dangerous Goods.

The Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp., formerly Sulpicio Lines, said it

is conducting its own probe of the incident. But the company also said it

will not be issuing more statements to the press until the official

government investigation is concluded, and the findings are released to

the public.This is the second major oil spill in Philippine waters in the past two

weeks. A massive diesel spill August 9 from an underwater pipe owned by

the Philippines largest oil company, Petron Corporation, fouled the waters

of Manila Bay.

Oil Spill in Estancia Iloilo Province, Western Visayas, Philippines Resulting

from Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)

A significant spill of heavy oil (bunker C type) occurred when Power

Barge No. 103 ran aground at the shores of Estancia during the height oftyphoon Haiyan. Between 21 and 23 November, environment experts

from the Philippines Environmental Management Bureau visited the site of

the oil spill together with a United Nations Disaster Assessment and

Coordination (UNDAC) environment expert, and a public health expert

from the World Health Organization, in order to jointly undertake a


13/19

preliminary assessment of the threats the spill poses to human health,

livelihoods and the environment.

Current estimates by the management of the power barge amount

to around 800,000 litres of oil having leaked. As the ruptured tanks

continue to leak and up to 600,000 litres of oil remain in the tanks, the

amount of spill is increasing steadily. Urgent action is required to pump outthe remaining oil or seal the holes in the tanks.

Most of the spilled oil has washed ashore, contaminating the coast

and mangroves up to 10 kilometres downstream. The containment booms

deployed are not sufficient to effectively contain all of the free phase oil

in the water. The free phase oil has been blown ashore by southeastern

winds so far. A change of wind direction or a tropical depression could

further complicate the containment of the free phase oil. A faster,

mechanical clean-up process with oil skimmers is urgently required.

An urgent need for recovery and clean up equipment and expert advice

has been identified. A request for technical assistance to theEnvironmental Management Bureau in Iloilo has been received by the

United Nations on 22 November and an oil spill clean-up expert was

deployed on 27 November.

Temporary workers who have been hired for the clean-up

operations continue to stay close to the site of the accident. The workers

are currently exposed to significant occupational health risks due to the

unsafe and ineffective practice of manual recovery of free phase oil in

the open water and the insufficient and inappropriate provision of

personal protective equipment. Immediate change in the management

of the clean-up operation is required in order to protect the workers from

unacceptable health risks.The contamination of the coast is putting the resident population at

risk from accidental fires and other physical injuries. The chemical risk to

the affected population is limited as long as direct contact with

contaminated debris is avoided. The physical risk to the people sheltering

in the immediate vicinity of the oil spill has been mitigated with the

evacuation of most of the population to a temporary evacuation centre.

With every day the clean-up process is delayed, the affected population

does not get the opportunity to recover and will continue to depend on

humanitarian relief.

The oil spill is a threat to the livelihoods of the population whodepend mainly on fishing and tourism, and having been heavily affected

by the typhoon. This increases the vulnerability of the population who has

been severely affected by the typhoon with many houses severely

damaged. As of 27 November, electricity is still not available in Estancia.

The sea, shore, rivers and mangroves south of Estancia have been

affected by the oil spill. Appropriate mitigation measures are urgently

required in order to limit the effects on human health, livelihoods, and the

ecosystem. Some preliminary recommendations have been formulated in

this report.

For more information, see Annex D.


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WORLD

1) Gulf War, 1991Location:Kuwait

Gallons:240 to 336 million

How It Happened:

As Iraqi forces retreated from Kuwait

during the first Gulf War, they opened

the valves of oil wells and pipelines in a

bid to slow the onslaught of American

troops. The result was the largest oil spill

history has seen. Some 240 million gallons

of crude oil flowed into the Persian Gulf.

The resulting oil slick spanned an area

just larger than the size of the island of Hawaii.

The Cleanup:

Coalition forces managed to seal off some of the open pipelines using

smart bombs, but most recovery efforts had to wait until after the war. At

that point 25 miles of booms (orange ropelike products that contain the

oil that is floating on top of the water) and 21 skimmers (machines that

separate oil from water) were deployed in the gulf, mostly to protect the

water intakes of desalinization, industry and power plants. Together with

vacuum trucks, about 58.8 million gallons of oil was recovered from the

gulf.

The largest oil spill the world has seen exacted little permanent damage

on coral ecosystems and local fisheries, according to a report by the

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission at Unesco. The study

concluded that about half the oil evaporated, one-eighth of it was

recovered and another quarter washed ashore, mostly in Saudi Arabia.

2) Ixtoc 1 Oil Well, 1979Location:Bay of Campeche, Mexico

Gallons:140 million

How It Happened:

In June 1979, an oil well in the Bay of

Campeche collapsed after a pressure

buildup sparked an accidental explosion.

Over the next 10 months about 140 million

gallons of crude spouted into the Gulf of

Mexico from the damaged oil well.

The Cleanup:

In order to slow down the flow of oil from the damaged well, mud andlater steel, iron and lead balls were dropped down its shaft. According to

PEMEX (Mexican Petroleum), half the oil burned when it reached the

surface and a third evaporated. PEMEX also hired a company to spray

dispersants over 1100 square miles of oil slick. Dispersants effectively act

like dish soap, breaking up oil so that more of it can mix into the water.

That way, they can reduce the effect of the oil slick on shorelines. On the


15/19

Texas side of the gulf, skimmers and boomers were placed in the water to

protect the bays and lagoons of the Barrier Islands.

3) Atlantic Empress, 1979Location:Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies

Gallons:88.3 million

How It Happened:One stormy evening in

July 1979, two full supertankers collided off

the coast of Tobago in the Caribbean Sea,

precipitating the largest ship-sourced oil spill

in history.

Crippled by the accident, both vessels

began to leak their crude and caught fire.

The fire on one of the vessels, theAegean Captain,was soon controlled,and the damaged vessel was towed to Curacao, where its remaining

cargo was recovered.

The other tanker, theAtlantic Empress,stubbornly ablaze, was towed

farther out to sea until it exploded 300 nautical miles offshore.

All told, 26 crew were killed in the disaster and nearly 90 million gallons of

crude was dumped into the sea.

The Cleanup:The response to the incident included firefighting efforts andthe use of dispersants to treat the oil that spilled over the course of the

accident and then while theAtlantic Empresswas towed away. Luckily,

only minor shore pollution was reported on nearby islands.

4) Fergana Valley, 1992Location:Uzbekistan


How It Happened:

Nearly 88 million gallons of oil spilled from

an oil well in Fergana Valley, one ofUzbekistanss mostactive energy- and oil-

refining areas. While the spill didnt get

much press at the time, it is the largest

inland spill ever reported.

The Cleanup:

The ground absorbed this spill, leaving nothing for cleaning crews to

tackle.


16/19

5) Nowruz Oil Field, 1983Location:Persian Gulf

Gallons:80 million

How It Happened:Smack in the middle of the Iran-Iraq War, an

oil tanker crashed into the Nowruz Field

Platform in the Persian Gulf and knocked it

askew, damaging the well underneath. The

oil well then leaked about 1500 barrels a

day, but because it was in the center of a

war zone, seven months went by before it

was fixed.

The Cleanup:

Norpol, a Norwegian company, used booms and skimmers to stem the

spread of oil.

6) ABT Summer, 1991Location:Off the coast of Angola

Gallons:80 million

How It Happened:

While en route to Rotterdam, the fully

loaded tankerABTSummerexperienced an explosion

onboard and caught fire while it was

900 miles off the coast of Angola,

leaking its payload into the ocean.

Surrounded by a growing oil slick that

spanned 80 square miles, the tanker burned for three days before sinking.

The Cleanup:

While no one can say how much of the oil sank or burned off, most of the

oil is thought to have been broken up by high seas at little environmentalcost, thanks to the incidents offshore location.

7) Castillo de Bellver, 1983Location:Off Saldanha Bay, South Africa


How It Happened:

Another torcher, the Castillo de

Bellvercaught fire about 70 miles

northwest of Capetown, South Africa,

on August 6, 1983. The blazing tanker

was abandoned and drifted offshore

until it eventually broke in half. The stern

capsized and sank into the deep


17/19

ocean, with some 110,000 ton of oil remaining in its tanks. The bow section

was towed away and sunk in a controlled explosion.

The vessel was carrying nearly 79 million gallons of crude at the time of the

accident.

The Cleanup:

Cleanup was minimal. There was some dispersant spraying, but by and

large the environmental consequences were small. About 1500 gannets

that happened to be gathered on a nearby island, gearing up for their

breeding season, were oiled, but the impact on local fish stocks was

minimal.

8) Amoco Cadiz, 1978Location:Off Brittany, France


How It Happened:

The tankerAmoco Cadizran aground off

the coast of Brittany after its steering failed

in a severe storm. Its entire cargo of 246,000

tons of light crude oil was dumped into the

roiling waters of the English Channel, with

the grim consequence of killing off more

marine life than any other oil spill to date at

the time.

The Cleanup:

Cleanup efforts were foiled by strong winds and heavy seas and less than

3300 tons of dispersants were used. Within a month of the spill, 200 miles of

the French shoreline was contaminated with oil. Vacuum trucks and

agricultural vacuum units were used to suck up some of the oil, although

a lot of it was simply removed by hand.

9) Odyssey Oil Spill, 1988Location:700 nautical miles off the coast of Nova Scotia, CanadaGallons:43 million

How It Happened:

In November 1988 the Liberian

tanker Odyssey,virtually full to the brim

with North Sea crude oil, broke in two and

sunk in the North Atlantic 700 miles off the

coast of Nova Scotia. It also caught fire as

it sunk.

The Cleanup:

Because the incident took place so far from the coastline, the oil was

expected to dissipate naturally, ergo no clean up at all.


18/19

10)M/T Haven Tanker, 1991

Location:Genoa, Italy

Gallons:42 million

How It Happened:An apparently shoddily maintained tanker

exploded and later sunk off the coast of

Italy. The accident killed six people.

Immediately after the incident, an effort by

the Italians to tow the Havento shore failed,

and the 820-foot-long (250 meter) vessel sunk

off the coast of Genoa. Today it is believed to be the largest shipwreck in

the world and is a popular tourist destination for divers.

The Cleanup:

Immediately after the incident Italian authorities scrambled to fight the fire

and control the spread of the spillage using six miles of inflatable barriers

that were submerged below the water surface around the vessel. The rest

of the surface oil was sucked up using vacuums.


19/19

References:

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_spill

Ports and Marine Organizationhttp://bushehrport.pmo.ir/en/maritimeenvironment/coastalmarine

Relief Web

http://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/oil-spill-estancia-iloilo-province-

western-visayas-philippines-resulting-typhoon

WWF Global

http://wwf.panda.org/?78300/Large-oil-spill-in-the-Philippines-threatens-

marine-ecosystem

Popular Mechanics

www.papolarmechanics.com

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | Office of Response

and Restoration

http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/training-and-education/education-

students-and-teachers/how-do-spills-happen.html

United States Environmental Protection Agency

http://www.epa.gov/oem/docs/oil/edu/oilspill_book/chap1.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_spillhttp://bushehrport.pmo.ir/en/maritimeenvironment/coastalmarinehttp://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/oil-spill-estancia-iloilo-province-western-visayas-philippines-resulting-typhoonhttp://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/oil-spill-estancia-iloilo-province-western-visayas-philippines-resulting-typhoonhttp://wwf.panda.org/?78300/Large-oil-spill-in-the-Philippines-threatens-marine-ecosystemhttp://wwf.panda.org/?78300/Large-oil-spill-in-the-Philippines-threatens-marine-ecosystemhttp://www.papolarmechanics.com/http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/training-and-education/education-students-and-teachers/how-do-spills-happen.htmlhttp://response.restoration.noaa.gov/training-and-education/education-students-and-teachers/how-do-spills-happen.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/oem/docs/oil/edu/oilspill_book/chap1.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/oem/docs/oil/edu/oilspill_book/chap1.pdfhttp://response.restoration.noaa.gov/training-and-education/education-students-and-teachers/how-do-spills-happen.htmlhttp://response.restoration.noaa.gov/training-and-education/education-students-and-teachers/how-do-spills-happen.htmlhttp://www.papolarmechanics.com/http://wwf.panda.org/?78300/Large-oil-spill-in-the-Philippines-threatens-marine-ecosystemhttp://wwf.panda.org/?78300/Large-oil-spill-in-the-Philippines-threatens-marine-ecosystemhttp://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/oil-spill-estancia-iloilo-province-western-visayas-philippines-resulting-typhoonhttp://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/oil-spill-estancia-iloilo-province-western-visayas-philippines-resulting-typhoonhttp://bushehrport.pmo.ir/en/maritimeenvironment/coastalmarinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_spill

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