WE CONTINUE our analysis on the responses of AC Energy on the July 3, 2020 explosion at its Power Barge 102 and tore a large hole in its hull and leaked bunker fuel.
AC Energy, by the way, is a member of the Ayala Group.
According to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) station in Iloilo, 268,948 liters of bunker fuel leaked from the barge, affecting coastal villages in Iloilo City and neighboring areas.
It isn’t often that an incident of this nature with serious consequences happens, which thus brings us to compare it with an almost similar incident 14 years ago. The Guimaras oil spill occurred in the Panay Gulf on Aug. 11, 2006 when oil tanker MT Solar 1 sank off the coast of Guimaras and Negros islands, causing what is considered the worst oil spill in the country.
As I said, almost similar. What they have in common is the oil spill although in volume the Guimaras oil spill was double and its damage far-reaching.
What are very noticeable are the responses. In the Guimaras oil spill there was a lot of finger-pointing, red tape, legal hurdles put up by PNOC, the operators of the tanker that sank, resulting in delays that aggravated the situation, causing more damage and even death.
Comparing that to the responses of AC Energy on the Power Barge 102 fuel leak, the leakage was contained at around 10 p.m. on July 3 with the rapid deployment of more than 170 combined personnel of the company and the Philippine Coast Guard with 14 boats and multilayered spill booms, plus those of Petron Corp. and Global Business Power Corp.
After containment, the company and coastguard immediately started the recovery of the remaining floating residue. Recovery capacity was increased with additional oil skimming equipment from Shell Philippines the following morning, and another from the company’s Power Barge 103 the next day.
“The company then engaged Harbor Star, a leading maritime services provider, to finish the cleanup of the waters and the coastline, beginning with the inlet areas, followed by the coast, and then any offshore areas to recover and safely disperse any remaining oil residue.
AC Energy also tapped US-based AECOM as third-party consultant to assist the company in the clean-up activities.
And about 336 families, or 1,240 individuals, from five evacuation centers were transferred to three hotels in Mandurriao district (District 21, Diversion 21 and Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo), according to Gabino Ramon Mejia, head of plant operations of AC Energy Philippines.
“We will provide them with air-conditioned rooms with toilets and television sets. We will also shoulder their food until they can return to their homes.
Excerpts from the July 21, 2020 issue of Panay News:
All 308 families that were displaced by the recent oil spill have returned home safely, with AC Energy Philippines keeping its promise to do everything it could to mitigate the societal and environmental impacts of the incident in a responsible manner.
The set of parameters for the reintegration of the displaced people was developed by a multi-stakeholder task force composed of various barangays, the city government, Philippine Coast Guard, AC Energy and consultant AECOM Philippines.
One of the parameters was the toxicity level of the affected areas – it must be negligible.
The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 6 disclosed last week that it recorded zero presence of hydrogen sulfide and there was a very safe level of benzene – chemicals that could be found in petroleum oils.
AC Energy’s cleanup contractor Harbor Star Shipping Services, Inc. also helped to ensure the safe return home of the evacuated families.
Throughout the period of displacement, a total of 2,350 food packs were distributed to residents of barangays Loboc, Mansaya and Bo. Obrero. As to AC Energy’s environmental management plan (EMP) for the nearby island province of Guimaras, the company’s Gabby Mejia and AECOM Philippines made a presentation on July 18 during a meeting with representatives of the Guimaras provincial government led by Gov. Samuel Gumarin and Vice Gov. John Edward Gando.
Similar to the action plans and commitments made for Iloilo City, AC Energy together with AECOM also presented its spill assessment update and criteria called Shoreline Clean-up and Assessment Technique (SCAT).
This method, based on international standards, is used to survey and document the impact of spills on shorelines, the effectiveness of cleanup activities, and conduct of post-cleanup inspections and evaluations.
The assessment includes fisheries and mangrove rehab.
Of the 268,948.61 liters of bunker oil spilled as verified by the coastguard, some 95 percent have already been recovered by AC Energy’s cleanup team.
The remaining five percent are floaters which naturally evaporate or either stick to sea walls, or carried away by tidal movements.
On top of all these, AC Energy also assured the following:
* completion of oil spill cleanup
* that water quality would be restored to safe levels
* continued monitoring of air quality
* proper collection and disposal of oil contaminated materials and wastes
* rehabilitation of affected mangrove and fisheries areas.
Just your usual good corporate citizen fulfilling its social responsibility./PN
