Guimaras oil spill
| Guimaras oil spill | |
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Map showing the extent of the Guimaras oil spill.
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| Location | Guimaras Strait, Philippines |
| Coordinates | 10°13′N 122°30′E / 10.217°N 122.500°ECoordinates: 10°13′N 122°30′E / 10.217°N 122.500°E |
| Date | 11 August 2006 |
| Cause | Sinking of M/T Solar 1 during storm |
| Casualties | 1 dead, 2 missing |
| Operator | Sunshine Maritime Development Corporation, Petron Corporation |
| Volume | 500,000 litres (110,000 imp gal; 130,000 US gal) |
The Guimaras oil spill occurred in the Panay Gulf on August 11, 2006 when the oil tanker M/T Solar 1 sank off the coast of Guimaras and Negros islands in the Philippines, causing what is considered as the worst oil spill in the country.
The oil tanker M/T Solar 1, carrying more than two million liters of bunker fuel, sank during a violent storm approximately 20.5 kilometres (12.7 mi) off the southern coast of Guimaras at around midnight on August 11, 2006, causing some 500,000 litres (110,000 imp gal; 130,000 US gal) of oil to pour into the gulf, that traveled up through the Guimaras Strait and Iloilo Strait. Siphoning the remaining 1.5 million liters from the sunken tanker, at a depth of more than 600 metres (2,000 ft), was scheduled for March 2007.
The oil spill adversely affected marine sanctuaries and mangrove reserves in three out of five municipalities in Guimaras Island and reached the shores of Iloilo and Negros Occidental. The oil spill occurred in the Guimaras Strait that connects the Visayan Sea with the Sulu Sea, and is considered a rich fishing ground that supplies most of the demand for the entire country. (NDCC, August 2006)
Haribon sent two biologists to Guimaras to assess the damage and talk to the affected communities regarding their immediate needs. Haribon provided assistance particularly for the long-term rehabilitation of the area. The government evacuated the affected families who had been exposed to the toxic elements of the crude oil. According to reports gathered in the field, people contracted skin diseases associated with these elements.
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Wikipedia