Bulletin 08: Oil slicks now sighted at the coasts of Calapan, along the Verde Island Passage

Featured image: Bulletin 08: Oil slicks now sighted at the coasts of Calapan, along the Verde Island Passage

UP MSI reported last March 12 of the possibility of the oil being transported northwards of the sunken vessel due to the weakening Amihan. Yesterday, March 16, a sighting report at Calapan, Oriental Mindoro was confirmed by the Philippine Coast Guard and the local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office. The weakening of Amihan along with the continuous seepage from the site might also bring the oil to the shores of Batangas and Verde Island as stated in Bulletin 7.

The forecast model can be refined by using GPS coordinates of oil slick sightings. The public is encouraged to contribute geotagged images using a GPS camera app (such as https://bit.ly/3ZVRg0y) so that coordinates can be used to initialize new model forecasts. Please submit these geotagged images to this form.

Communities along the Verde Island Passage and Batangas are advised to prepare and report any sighting of oil slick to the Google form and to authorities and await government advice regarding coastal cleanup, and adhere to public guidance to prevent its harmful effects.