GLENN DEFENSE MARINE ASIA ALLEGEDLY DUMPS TOXIC WASTE IN SUBIC BAY

 

Subic Bay Freeport Zone – Malaysian Contractor  Glenn Defense Marine Asia is under investigation for alleged illegal hauling and dumping of liquid waste in Subic Bay.

Last October 15, 2012 the tanker MT Glenn Guardian was spotted collecting liquid waste from a  Ship at Alava Pier at around 8 o’clock in the morning. Through the efforts of the Ecology Center of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA-Ecology), a spot inspection was conducted on MT Glenn Guardian at around 1PM when the said tanker was already docked at the NSD area of the Freeport.

Edilberto Acedilla, captain of Glenn Guardian revealed during the spot inspection that they are carrying around 50,000 gallons of domestic waste and around 200 gallons of bilge water (a combination of water, oil and grease) all of which were hauled from a US Navy ship. Acedilla alleged that the water in the tanks has been treated and that the usual practice is to dump these liquid wastes 20 nautical miles from Subic Bay.

The next day, October 16, 2012, a team from the Philippine Coast Guard, Marine Pollution Division (MARPOL), headed by Petty Officer 1, Enrico Viuda together with the SBMA Ecology personnel boarded MT Glenn Guardian and another vessel MT Glenn Enterprise for inspection and discovered that both vessels of Glenn Defense Marine Asia have expired registrations and permits. According to Viuda, these vessels never applied for any MARPOL Permits to dump domestic wastes in the open sea.

One of the pre-requisites of the MARPOL dumping permit is testing in order to determine whether the liquid waste has been properly treated and is no longer harmful to marine life.

Laboratory tests initiated by the SBMA Ecology department on the water samples taken from the vessels and the physical and chemical analysis of the water collected showed alarming levels of toxicity, grease and oil. Result of the water testing indicates that the level of toxicity of the liquid wastes from the Glenn Defense vessels exceeded the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Administrative Order 35 series of 1990 (DAO-35 on acceptable amount of toxicity) by more than 700 percent. This means the water on the vessels can seriously harm the ecosystem.

Available records reveal that the Certificate of Registration of Glenn Defense Marine  Asia as a Freeport Registered Company in Subic Bay has no provision for waste water collection, hauling and dumping.

Records also show that Glenn Defense has been servicing vessels in Subic since 2009. This year alone, a total of 37 US Navy ships have been sub-contracted by Glenn Defense and part of their service is to collect tons of liquid wastes from these ships.

In 2011, Glenn Marine was charged for dumping liquid waste a few miles from Manila Bay. The case is still pending at the DENR-NCR.

The SBMA Seaport Department who is responsible for all ship movements and activities in the Freeport refuses to comment on the matter. Sources say that waste water collection from vessels docked in the Subic Port are coordinated with and regulated by the Seaport Department in relation to the regulations of the SBMA Ecology Department for proper handling, hauling and disposal of Noxious Liquid Substance or NLS.

But there are also allegations that these Glenn Defense vessels just dump their load at the pier where they are berthed. “These barges never leave the Subic NSD area. They come in heavy-loaded from the US Ships and the next day, they become empty and their hulls are again elevated. But they never leave the NSD pier to dump”, said one source.

Subic Bay is known for its unspoiled waters, beaches and venues for water-sports. But recent tests by independent study groups have revealed that toxicity levels in Subic Bay have increased significantly in the past years.