THE COAST Guard District Southeastern Mindanao confirmed that no oil spill occurred after a vessel crashed into the Samal Island-Davao City Connector Project’s temporary steel bridge.
During a Davao Peace and Security Press Corps briefing at The Royal Mandaya Hotel on Wednesday, Coast Guard Ensign Ronald Garcia stated that the investigation is ongoing into the incident.
“We conducted an environmental risk assessment to check for any damage to the environment,” Garcia said. “We can conclude that there is no environmental damage and no oil spill.”
The incident occurred on Saturday, August 18. The Coast Guard Station Island Garden City of Samal (CGSS IGACOS) responded to a distress call from the SIDC project contractor regarding the “MT Toni Dominique 11,” a domestic Motor Tanker carrying 930 metric tons of coconut oil.
Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao spokesperson and chief of staff, Lt. Commander Angel Tobias, reported that the vessel suddenly rammed into the temporary steel bridge structure.
CGSS Caliclic personnel and MEPGRU-IGACOS personnel were immediately dispatched to assess the situation.
Initial investigations revealed no major damage to the Motor Tanker and no evidence of oil spillage. However, the temporary steel bridge structure was deformed due to the collision.
The Maritime Safety Services Unit-SEM (MSSU-SEM) will conduct a Marine Casualty Investigation (MCI) and a Vessel Safety Enforcement Inspection (VSEI) to determine the cause of the incident.
The Maritime Environmental Protection Group-SEM (MEPGRU-SEM) will continue to monitor the area for any signs of oil spillage until underwater hull inspections are completed.
