No oil spill from stranded barge in Antique – PCG

SAN JOSE, Antique – Authorities here said they have not detected any oil spill from the stranded barge off the coast of this capital town.

The Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) clarified on Monday that they have not found any oil spill when they inspected the stranded barge.

ENRO provincial head Vivian Marfil said there was no oil spill contrary to the report of residents living along the coastline. The inspection was done on July 30.

“We found no traces of oil spill,” she said in an interview.

PCG-Antique station commander Rodolfo de la Pena on also cleared the oil spill threats upon conducting an inspection.

“Based on our survey and inspection, there’s a negative result on the reported oil spill on MB Gemini 12,” he said.

He added that the barge will be towed within the week once the tugboat from Cebu arrives.

“We are just waiting for the barge to be towed to Cebu for dry-docking this week,” he said.

Earlier, ship Captain Romeo Pacres said their barge left Mindoro last April 2 supposedly to deliver 24,500 sacks of salt to concessionaires in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental and Tagbilaran, Bohol.

Their vessel ran aground while they were in the vicinity of Antique the following day.

“Seawater started to come in our barge through a hole that grounded our vessel,” he said.

Pacres added all his crew was safe after he declared abandonment of the barge.

He further said that their shipping company will send a tugboat to tow the barge. (With a report from PNA/PN)

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