Greenpeace: Senate hearing must call for accountability from oil companies

At today’s Senate inquiry on the oil spill caused by the sinking of MT Terranova, Greenpeace Campaigner Jefferson Chua said:

“This Senate inquiry into the MT Terranova must draw out accountability from all companies involved, including the charterer, and ensure that the government addresses policy gaps and strengthen regulations to avoid future incidents of negligence and evasion of responsibility.

“Greenpeace believes that it is particularly important to inquire into the responsibility and accountability of the shipper, SL Harbour Bulk Terminal Corporation. SL Harbour Bulk Terminal Corporation, a subsidiary of San Miguel Shipping and Lighterage Corporation, was also the charterer involved in the MT Princess Empress oil spill in Mindoro in 2023. These two oil spill disasters which are only one year apart can be indicative of lack of due diligence and care on the part of the cargo owner, which is fully aware of the serious risks posed by its oil cargo. In this regard, the government must also reexamine current laws and policies in order to ensure that owners of such cargo are compelled to take responsibility for clean-up and rehabilitation, and compensation to affected communities, in the event of oil spills.

“We must remember that unless the companies involved are held fully accountable, it is the government that will shoulder the costs for ‘clean-up,’ recovery, and long-term rehabilitation of the ecosystems and communities impacted, in effect cleaning up and paying for the pollution private companies have caused. Full transparency from all the companies and government agencies involved should therefore be sought.

“Oil spills will continue to be regular occurrences if oil and gas companies are not held liable. As the Senate starts looking into the ill fate of the MT Terranova, we urge the members of the upper chamber to see their inquiry from start to conclusion, put every company–including the cargo owner and charterer–under scrutiny, and examine and fix gaps in policies that make oil spills a common occurrence in the country.

“Greenpeace believes that this should also be a wake up call for the Marcos Jr administration to speed up the just transition to renewable energy and recognize that our dependence on fossil fuels will always be a liability.”^[1]

Notes to editors:

[1] Greenpeace recommends:

The companies involved must show responsibility and transparency and act with more urgency in stopping the spill and compensating communities. The main priorities should be stopping the ongoing seepage, containing the spill in a manner that does not harm the environment further, and retrieving the remaining oil, so that it does not present a continuing danger to communities and ecosystems. 

This must be done while urgently giving support to all the communities and LGUs affected by the spill—not only have they lost their livelihoods, they have no food and water, all because of the spill.

The government must:

• Call for accountability from the companies involved. It must compel the companies to come out in the open, take responsibility for the spill, compensate the communities and local governments for the ongoing damage to health, ecosystems, and livelihoods, and pay reparations for the knock-on effects of this disaster.
• Ensure valuable fisheries management areas are protected against the adverse effects of industrial activities by imposing stringent regulations on vessels transporting hazardous materials like oil. 
• Urgently phase out fossil fuels to prevent further environmental and climate destruction and to protect communities. It’s impossible to fully clean up an oil spill, and ecosystems never completely recover. This catastrophe is a reminder that at all stages of its lifecycle, fossil fuels bring permanent harm to people and the planet.

Greenpeace has submitted a full position paper on the MT Terranova oil spill to the Senate Committee upon their request. Download it HERE.

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