MANILA - The interagency task force would prioritize the containment of the oil spill from the sunken oil tanker MT Princess Empress in Oriental Mindoro, said Justice spokesman Mico Clavano on Thursday.
He said that based on preliminary reports, the 23 holes found by the ROV machine on the tanker would release two liters of oil per minute.
"So if you do the computation as of today, mukhang ubos na lahat ng oil na nasa tanker. The response would not be about salvaging the tank but instead containing na lang yung pag-spread," Clavano explained.
He also said they are investigating whether the tanker was new or made from scrap metal.
"Kung malaman natin na luma siya dati, na scrap metal siya, the questions on seaworthiness will definitely come up," Clavano said.
The interagency task force on the Oriental Mindoro oil spill will resume its meeting on March 31 to discuss developments on the investigation.
The Princess Empress was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil when it sank off the central island of Mindoro on Feb. 28.
The oil spill has now reached the shores of Isla Verde near Batangas City.
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