Talisay City sets P2,000/day fine until sunken vessel extracted

THE CITY council of Talisay has approved a resolution setting a P2,000 per day fine, starting May 7, on the owner of cargo vessel which sunk off the city’s waters that day. In the resolution, Councilor Antonio D. Bacaltos, Jr., chairman of the council committee on environment protection, urged the City Legal Office to draft the demand letter to the ship’s owner, Seen Sam Shipping, Inc. Mr. Bacaltos said the longer the vessel stays on the sea floor, the higher the chance it will cause damage to the environment, particularly to marine life. The Philippine Coast Guard earlier said that while the sunken vessel does not pose any risk to passing vessels since it is submerged 120 feet and there were no traces of an oil spill in the area, it needs to be extracted as oil sheen has been found. An oil sheen has the attributes of light cooking oil; it is highly volatile when exposed to sunlight and usually stays on the surface. At present, a group of divers hired by the Seen Sam Shipping is checking the vessel’s position underwater to assess how it can be salvaged. —