The Sagay City government fined the owner of a vessel responsible for a molasses spill at the Old Sagay Feeder Port on August 7.
The owner of M/T Mary Queen of Charity was fined P250,000 for violating the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018, Sagay City Administrator Ryan Bonghanoy said Friday, August 16.
The barge was allowed to leave the Sagay Feeder Port on Tuesday after the fine was paid, he said.
The Philippine Coast Guard certified that the vessel was seaworthy, Bonghanoy said.
Bonghanoy said the molasses that spread over 1.3 hectares of the Sagay Marine Reserve was biodegradable and not damaging to marine line, It dissolved in two days, he said.
The spill reportedly occurred during the transfer of the molasses to the vessel.
The laboratory results of the water samples taken are still being awaited.
The Environmental Management Bureau may also impose an additional fine, Bonghanoy said.*