ILOILO City – Oil sludge along the shores of Arevalo district over the weekend baffled the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
Where did the sludge come from? Lieutenant Commander Rodolfo Dela Peña, PCG-Iloilo station commander, had no ready answer.
There was no reported ship or motorboat sinking at the Iloilo Strait over the weekend or last week that would warrant an oil spill or sludge.
On Saturday coastguard personnel, residents, personnel of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and volunteers were able to collect some 20 kilos of oil sludge from the shores of Arevalo’s Barangay Sto. Niño.
Samples were taken for analysis.
Oil sludge or black sludge is a solid or gel in motor oil caused by the oil gelling or solidifying, usually at temperatures higher than 100 degrees Celsius.
The oil sludge stretched to some two kilometers of shoreline./PN
