Guimaras Oil Spill

The oil tanker M/T Solar I, carrying two million litres of tanker fuel, sank on August 11, 2006 at the Guimaras Strait off the coast of the Guimaras and Negros Occidental provinces, causing 200,000 litres of oil to pour into the strait

View Pictures of the Spill

The spill has damaged Taklong Island National Marine Reserve, a marine santuary and feeding and breeding ground for fish and other species.

Dr. Jose Ingles, eco-region coordinator of the World Wide Fund for Nature in the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, said that the damage may be felt by at least two generations. He warned that the disaster may have damaged the reefs and mangroves, scarring the ecosystem and causing seafood yields to significantly decrease. According to him, the worst hit would be the shorelines, the coasts and the swamplands with mangroves. This will greatly impact the livelihood of the fishermen, mostly living in poor conditions.

The oil slick also poses as a threat to the blue crab industry of Enrique B. Magalona, Negros Occidental.

As of August 22, the Philippine Coast Guard says that the spill has affected 20 communities in 4 municipalities in Guimaras as of August 22, 2006. It also threatens 27 communities in Iloilo province and 17 others in Negros Occidental.

A villager from Barangay Lapaz, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras became the first casualty directly affected by the spill. He died after inhaling the fumes of the oil sludge causing him to contract cardio-respiratory disease. Two workers from the ship has aslo been reported missing.

This information was obtained from Wikipedia