The recovery of 402 barrels of endosulfan from the capsized M/V Princess of the Stars was completed Sunday afternoon, paving the way for the recovery of other chemical cargo from the capsized ship's hold.
The Task Force Princess of the Stars, in a statement, said the last barrel of endosulfan that sank with the ship last June 21 was successfully and safely retrieved as of 1 p.m. Sunday.
"Sulpicio Lines said the toxic chemicals are now properly stored, awaiting the task force decision when and where to ship it in Manila for proper handling," the statement said.
With the recovery of endosulfan completed, Titan Salvage and its local partner, Harbor Star, the salvors contracted by vessel owner Sulpicio Lines, will next clear the ship of the hydrocarbons and chemicals from Bayer Philippines. source
"Priority was given to the retrieval of the toxic chemicals from the capsized vessel to ensure the safety of those who would do the body retrieval of victim's remains which will be the next step after all chemicals are safely taken out of the water," the task force explained in the statement.
On Saturday, Transportation and Communications Undersecretary and task force chief Elena Bautista said that government is bent on shipping back the recovered toxic cargo to Israel, the source of the endosulfan shipment from the capsized ship owned by Sulpicio Lines.
Gov't has custody of chemicals
On Thursday, the government was appointed to take custody of the recovered chemical and make sure it does not pose any threat to local communities.
"What we have decided to do is get them into the Manila port and ship them out to Israel but we need to seek court approval to do that, because if endosulfan has to stay in the Philippines it has to be guarded by the Environment Management Bureau and the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority because they have specific warehouses where such toxic materials can be stored. But the less risky approach is to immediately ship it back to Israel," said Bautista
She added that other concerned groups believe this is the best thing to do.
As to who will shoulder the cost of shipment, Bautista said they may ask Del Monte Philippines and Sulpicio "to sort things out." The endosulfan cargo was reportedly meant for Del Monte's pineapple plantation in Mindanao.
Bautista earlier congratulated professional salvors for their efforts amid the sensitive nature of retrieval operations, adding after completing recovery of endosulfan cargo, efforts would turn to retrieving a Bayer shipment.
Despite the absence of endosulfan contamination in Romblon's waters, Bautista said the fishing ban within a five-kilometer radius of the ship will remain in place until retrieval operations are completed.
After the sensitive retrieval operations, Bautista said the task force, together with salvors, would have to find a way to siphon remaining fuel in the ship's barge.
"We're also trying to see when we should start suctioning out the fuel remaining in the vessel because for sure the stability will change once its removed from the water. We want more stable water before we do that and we want to finish the endosulfan retrieval before we start suctioning out the fuel," said Bautista.
Phase 2 of operations to follow siphoning of fuel
Only after siphoning could the salvor companies proceed with phase two of the operations: retrieving the bodies of some 560 missing passengers who are believed still trapped in the vessel.
"We want the relatives of passengers to prepare themselves because after three-and a half months we expect to just retrieve bones. We've set parameters of the retrieval. After retrieval they will be decontaminated and shipped to Cebu where dead body identification will be waiting," said the Task Force head.
She said Sulpicio will convert its terminal to a family assistance center where medical teams will help family members with identifying their dead relatives.
Bautista said the retrieval of bodies from the vessel could take a month, after which the bodies would be flown to Sarajevo for proper identification through DNA testing which could take another month to complete.
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