Toxic Cargo Retrieved from Shipwreck

Packs of toxic cargo retrieved from shipwreck
By Joel E. Zurbano

Salvors have retrieved 22 packs of the 400 packs of the toxic chemical endosulfan from the wreck of Princess of the Stars without contaminating the sea, Transport Undersecretary Ma. Elena Bautista said yesterday.

Weather permitting, the retrieval of the toxic cargo will be completed within 16 days, said Bautista, head of Task Force Princess of the Stars.

“US-based salvor firm Titan and its local partner Harbor Star have started retrieving endosulfan from the wreck,” Bautista told a press conference. “As of 1 p.m. today, 22 packs of endosulfan, out of a total of 400, have been retrieved and contained in steel drums,” Bautista said.

Each pack weighs 25 kilos. The retrieved packs are kept in sealed steel drums once onboard the Big Time barge. The environment management bureau and the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority are tasked with the disposal of the toxic cargo, Bautista explained.

The divers and those receiving the containers on the barge are wearing hazmat (hazardous materials) suits. These are people trained in handling toxic substances and they follow strict decontamination procedures after each dive or handling of the chemical, Bautista said.

The plan now is to remove all toxic chemicals as fast and as safe as possible. Simultaneously, procedures are in motion to remove the bunker fuel estimated at 250 liters, Bautista said. “We have to ensure the safety of personnel working in the area.”

Vice Adm. Wilfredo Tamayo, Coast Guard chief, said that it could take them until the Christmas season to recover all bodies of the victims trapped in the shipwreck.

On the extraction of hydrocarbons or bunker fuel, 6 flanges have been attached to different fuel tanks. The next step is to bore holes in each flange and hot tap the bunker fuel from different tanks simultaneously.

“Removing the hydrocarbons may take a few more days, depending on the weather condition. The great part of the wreck is submerged, which means waves and visibility will be a factor in the operation. Salvors contracted by Sulpicio Lines are working as fast as practicable,” Bautista said.

After the chemicals and hydrocarbons are extracted, the victims’ remains will be retrieved next, Bautista said. Plans for the body retrieval have been presented to the task force by Sulpicio Lines and Harbor Star. The retrieval operation will start on Oct. 24.

The 24,000-ton Princess of the Stars with more than 800 people aboard capsized off Sibuyan island in Romblon at the height of typhoon Frank three months ago.