Under an agreement with the PCG and other groups, the Esperanza
and itscrew will conduct a joint visual survey with the PCG at
thesoutheastern tip of Guimaras Island, the worst-hit area where
aprotected marine sanctuary has been badly devastated. The MY
Esperanzawill also transport clean up and containment equipment to
PCG units onthe ground, as well as relief goods donated by ABS-CBN
Foundation toaffected communities.
The Greenpeace ship and crew will also work with scientists and
othermarine/ecology experts to undertake impact assessment and
determine thedamage caused by the oil spill to important marine
sanctuaries andcoastal ecosystems in the area.
"The Philippine Coast Guard is enlisting Greenpeace in this
short butvital impacts assessment work," said Commander Joseph M.
Coyme of thePhilippine Coast Guard."The information that Greenpeace
and theirpartner scientists provide will give us solid basis in
continuing ouroil spill containment and mitigation work."
"Our main concern is how the government can effectively mitigate
theimpacts of this disaster to the marine environment and
livelihoods ofpeople. It will take years to clean up and
rehabilitate affected areasand communities," said Von Hernandez,
Campaign Director of GreenpeaceSoutheast Asia. "In this regard, we
reiterate our call on thegovernment to make Petron and its partners
accountable for all thecosts associated with this disaster."
The Esperanza is in the Philippines on the latest leg of her
globalDefending Our Oceans expedition to highlight the wonders and
theenvironmental threats to the world's oceans and to campaign for
theestablishment of marine reserves. Scientists recognize the
Philippinearchipelago as the world's centre of marine biodiversity,
but is alsothe most highly threatened, citing the danger of mass
extinction in ascale similar to that of the destruction of the
Brazilian rainforests.
On Friday, August 11, a Petron-chartered single hull
vesselcarrying 2.1 million litres of oil sank in Guimaras Strait,
whichGreenpeace characterized as an ecological time bomb that can
causelong-term and possible irreversible damage to the environment
andlivelihoods of people.
Greenpeace is an independent, campaigning organisation, which
usesnon-violent, creative confrontation to expose global
environmentalproblems, and to force solutions essential to a green
and peacefulfuture.
Sign up as an Ocean Defender at oceans.greenpeace.org
VVPR info: Commander Joseph M. Coyme, Spokesperson of Task Force Guimaras Oil Spill, Philippine Coast Guard, +63 906 3788630Von Hernandez, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Campaign Director, +63 917 526 3050Arthur Jones Dionio, Regional Media Campaigner, +63 921 5615305Isabel Leal, Greenpeace International Media Officer (in Amsterdam), +31 20 718 2051
Notes: See also:Recent oil spills - briefingEsperanza crew weblog