Greenpeace visits Philippines oil spill

The Greenpeace ship Esperanza has arrived at the oil spill in the Guimaras Strait of the central Philippines, to examine the environmental impact of the devastating accident. The 350,000 litre oil slick is located 7.3 nautical miles southwest of Unisan Island, and has spread across the strait.

It is estimated that more than 25,000 people have lost their livelihoods to the oil spill, while around 1100 hectares of marine reserve has been damaged, along with coastal resorts and mangrove forests.

"This is only about 10% of the oil contained in the sunken tanker, but it has already reached a very wide area and devastation is extensive,” said Greenpeace’s Beau Baconguis, at the scene.

“The Philippine government must quickly declare a state of calamity in the affected communities. The government must also force Petron to prevent the rest of its oil from further leaking into the sea, and hold the company accountable for damages to the environment and for economic losses in these areas."