On Wednesday, a molasses spill was seen in the vicinity waters of Sagay Feeder Port, Sagay, Negros Occidental.

According to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), at around 9:00 AM, port personnel observed discoloration in the waters surrounding the motor tanker (MT) Mary Queen of Charity, while the vessel conducted shore-to-ship operations. The motor tanker was said to have loaded 300 metric tons of molasses in the ship when discoloration was monitored in the vicinity waters.

The Coast Guard response team instructed the master of the ship to discontinue the loading of molasses so that they could assess the affected areas, as an undetermined volume of molasses was suspected to have spilled during their operations.

The PCG’s Marine Environmental Protection Unit (MEPU) conducted a water sampling, along with the containment and recovery operations. The PCG is also coordinating with the City Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO) and the concerned local government unit (LGU).