Philippine Coast Guard, partner agencies respond to 48,000-litre oil spill in Iloilo waters

The Philippine Coast Guard, local firefighting teams, and some private companies have been working in response to an oil spill incident off Iloilo City in the west-central Philippines on Friday, July 3.

The incident occurred at around 14:20 local time on Friday when an onboard tank on a floating power barge exploded and caused an estimated 48,000 litres of oil to leak into the waters just outside the city.

The coast guard then deployed to the area and assisted the barge’s owners in laying out containment boom segments over an area spanning 1,200 square metres to prevent the oil from reaching the shore.

The coast guard has also deployed oil skimmers for the containment and recovery operation, which was still ongoing as of Sunday.

An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the incident.

A senior coast guard official told local media that criminal charges may be filed against the barge’s owners in connection with the spill.