Rover Finds Leak at Sunken Tanker

ILOILO City – A day after reporting that the sunken tanker Solar 1 had stopped leaking, the Philippine Coast Guard said yesterday that the underwater probe of Japanese survey vessel Shin Sei Maru had spotted leaks in the ill-fated vessel.

“Based on the video taken by the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), Solar 1 is leaking less than 20 liters of bunker oil every hour,” said Iloilo Coast Guard chief, Commander Harold Jarder.

Shin Sei Maru on Thursday located the tanker at the bottom of the Panay Gulf.

Its submersible ROV found the tanker in an "upright position" and "listing slightly on the starboard (right) side" on the seabed, Coast Guard commandant, Vice Admiral Arthur Gosingan had said.

The underwater probe also spotted that the vessel's hull developed a crack, Gosingan revealed. There were blotches of oil slick on this portion, he added.

During a press briefing yesterday, Jarder showed to the media video clips of the sunken tanker taken by the ROV. The tanker was resting at a depth of approximately 627.87 meters or over 1,800 feet.

The Shin Sei Maru docked at the international port of Iloilo City last Thursday night.

Owned by Fukuda Salvage and Marine Works Company Limited, Petron Corp. hired it to detect the ill-fated tanker carrying 13,000 barrels or 2,195,439 metric tons of bunker fuel.

Petron chartered Solar 1 to transport its bunker fuel from Bataan province to Zamboanga. It sank on August 11. Two of the tanker’s crewmembers remain missing.

The resulting slick has damaged fishing grounds, beaches, marine reserves, and mangroves in Guimaras Island and portions of Iloilo province.

Panay News, Rover Finds Leak At Sunken Tanker, by GEROME DALIPE IV