We reported a few weeks ago of the sinking of a large tanker off the coast of the Philippines, and after the damage has been assessed, the problem is not as severe as feared.
Daniel Gayosa, who is commanding the search and rescue vessel EDSA II at the wreck site, says the tanker, Solar 1, is spilling less than 10 liters of oil a day. "We still don't know if there is still oil in there. Those tanks are also watertight and it's possible some of them are still intact. (But) we still don't know their status," Gayosa said.
However, it is affecting one of the Philippines best fishing areas, Visayan Sea, which may still result in a severe economic downturn in the country where fishing is one of the largest industries. As a result, many of the area’s fishermen are fleeing to the Sulu Sea, the area’s other major fishing ground, but there is now increased competition, and fewer fish in the area.
It is unclear how long the situation will take to fix, but countries such as Japan and others are already helping to clean up the mess.
