MV ASIA SHIP

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Third vessel grounded in Philippine waters

On July 30, 204, the 'Mirola 1' ran aground in the vicinity waters of Sitio Quiapo, Barangay Biaan in Mariveles and was found listing to port side and with its stern submerged. Nobody was found onboard with investigators suggesting the rusty ship had been abandoned. The Philippine Coast Guard along with the Provisional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), Bataan, conducted an aerial surveillance using drones to survey the water near Sitio Quiapo, Barangay Biaan, Bataan, and Mariveles. They noticed small patches of oil and a light smell of diesel in the area. They also collected water samples for further analysis to assess the extent of any potential contamination and determine the environmental impact.. On Aug 1 the PCG started the oil recovery operation ande was manually scooping out the oil inside the vessel. They trabsferred tge oil to large drums and planned to bring the recovered oil in a waste disposal facility to avoid posing health risks to residents. The vessel has a history with the Coast Guard. In Jan 2023, the Coast Guard detained 18 crew members and the vessel when they discovered her offloading oil to three smaller boats. They suspected smuggling and fuel pilferage of as much as 30,000 liters of diesel fuel. The Coast Guard initially planned to do an aerial survey of the ship and go aboard to take samples. Officials were working to determine how much fuel was aboard the vessel but decided not to take the samples due to fears of possible leaks and the condition of the vessel. There was a minimal oil sheen and a light smell of diesel oil in the area. Two oil drums were floating in the water on the deck of the ship. The light diesel that would dissipate in the weather and water. The Coast Guard did not want to spread their resources too thin and remain focused on the 'Terra Nova', but would monitor the 'Mirola-1', which was the third vessel to run into trouble in the waters of Bataan, after the tankers 'Terra Nova' and MKTR J'ason Bradley' sank in the past week. Reports with photos and video: https://maritime-executive.com/article/abandoned-cargo-ship-suspected-of-oil-smuggling-grounds-in-philippines https://news.abs-cbn.com/regions/2024/7/31/vessel-runs-aground-off-the-coast-of-bataan-causing-another-oil-spill-1942 https://www.rappler.com/philippines/coast-guard-oil-recovery-operations-mv-mirola-bataan/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTDNWlrfJck

Grounded ship had no records

The 'Mirola 1' had no transaction or clearance records from concerned government agencies, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said. Using the vessel tracking and monitoring system (VTMS) which all ships must comply with, the agency did not receive any signal from the 'Mirola 1', or even manual submissions from the ship management to ports in Bataan. On Aug. 1, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) started efforts to collect oil from the 'Mirola 1' at Sitio Quiapo in Barangay Biaan, Mariveles, Bataan. Using a dipper or tabo, PCG personnel scooped and transferred to drums the water mixed with fuel from a submerged part of the vessel. The oil collected by personnel was sludge oil. The fuel spilled from a drum in the submerged cargo hold.