[oil disaster] finally the world takes notice

It took so long for anyone to wake up.

The Solaris 1 tanker is still an ecological "ticking time bomb" as it sits in 900 meters of water with 450,000 gallons [not litres, as I previously incorrectly reported] of oil ready to burst open. Petron has now said it is coordinating with an international fund assembly to finance the pullout of a tanker that sank off Guimaras island.

Petron spokeswoman Vivian Ruivivar said in an interview with Magandang Umaga Pilipinas, "We have been coordinating with the International Oil Pollution Council for funds." Ruivivar said Petron does not have the capability nor financial capacity to re-float the submerged vessel by itself.

What utter bilge.

She said the IOPC was set up to assist private companies in oil spill disasters worldwide and that Petron has also sought the services of a contractor to survey the situation of the tanker settled at the bottom of Guimaras sea. The survey is needed to determine the cost of the tanker’s pullout.

Ruivivar further said the liability for the sunken vessel and the oil spill rests solely with the owner of Solar 1, Sunshine Maritime. "We already took the moral responsibility that’s why we are very active in that area doing the cleanup and arranging for the salvage of the vessel."

Greenpeace, since their late arrival on the scene, is investigating reports that the captain of the ill-fated tanker was not properly trained to handle the ship. The government, meanwhile, has ordered "round-the-clock" operation to contain the oil.