Cleanup methods for oil spill

An explosion in Power Barge 102 triggered an oil spill in Iloilo Strait last July 3, 2020. It affected coastal areas in Bo. Obrero, Lapuz where it is located and has reached other communities and even Guimaras Island Province.

Reports verified by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) indicated that 268,948.61 liters of bunker oil were spilled and about 95 percent of the oil had been recovered by by AC Energy Philippines.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) in Region 6 discussed with AC Energy the different mitigating measures and actions for efficient and fast clean-up operations.

But how are oil spill get cleaned up? There are different oil spill clean-up methods and here are some common ways:

1. Oil booms – one of the most well-known and common method for controlling and cleaning up oil spills. There are different types, shapes and sizes of oil booms were designed to use depending on the area where the spillage happened.

2. Oil absorbents – are type of sponges and other porous materials used to absorb oil from the oil spill area during the cleanup.

3. Fertilizer dispensing – a type of cleanup for oil spills on water using fertilizer which develops specific microorganisms that disperse the spill by eating into it. It’s a more natural and eco-friendly oil spill cleanup method.

4. Oil skimming – is method using a specialized tool to collect and remove oil from the water surface and usually work for lighter oils.

5. Manual removal – is a method where people assist in the cleanup by using shovels, spades and other tools to remove the spill. It is ineffective in large spills cleanup but the small acts could make a difference as it helps contain spills and prevent from spreading on surfaces.

To contain the oil spill, AC Energy installed 750 meters of non-absorbent oil spill boom to contain an area in the bunker with an estimated area of 3,000 square meters. They also deployed six oil skimmers, 12 bales of absorbent pillows, 20,000 sorbent pads and hired people utilizing eight motor bancas for the manual oil spill collection. The PCG also deployed two skimming vessels with additional two skimmers from Petron and another one from Shell.

A Shoreline Clean-up and Assessment Technique (SCAT) which is an international standard method of surveying and documenting the impact of spills on shorelines, effectiveness of clean-up activities and conduct of post-cleanup inspections and evaluations will be employed by the corporation.

The DENR-EMB 6 has issued a Notice of Violation was issued to the corporation for violating Section 27.a of DAP 2005-10, or the Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 9275 for “Discharging, depositing or causing to be deposited material of any surface water, where the same shall be liable to be washed into such surface water, either by tide action or by storm, floods or otherwise, which could cause water pollution or impede the natural flow in the water body is strictly prohibited” on July 6, 2020 by the EMB-6.

“Oil spill incidents should be responded with resiliency and with AC energy clean-up procedures, it is closely controlling the spillage. However, oil spill prevention is the best way to control spillage and effective oil spill preventive measures and plans should be put in place to avoid its harmful effects in the environment,” DENR-6 regional executive director Francisco E. Milla Jr. said. (DENR-6)