Maaring maging liable sa ilang International Convention ang paglubog ng MT Princess Empress noong February 28 na nagdulot ng malawakang oil spill sa Oriental Mindoro.
Kabilang sa mga international convention na maaaring harapin nito ay ang 1992 International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (1992 CLC), the 1992 International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage (1992 FUND), the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), and the International Safety Management (ISM) Code.
Sa ilalim ng 1992 International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, liable ang MT Princess Owneres ng halos P331.3 million.
Ayon kay Aklan Province 2nd District Rep. Teodorico Haresco Jr., bukod sa isinasagawang clean up sa apektadong lugar kailangan din umanong gawing accountable ang may ari ng MT Princess Empress dahil ang oil spill ay naging sanhi ng pagkasira ng tourism industry, marine resources, kalusugan, pati na ang kabuhayan sa apektadong lugar.
“We must employ a whole-of-government approach in seeking for justice, mitigating the devastating effects of the oil spill, and dealing with the recovery and rehabilitation of the affected communities and environmental resources,” sinabi ni Haresco Jr.
Dahil sa epekto nito, nagsumite ng House Bill Resolution No. 842 ang mambabatas na naglalayong magkaroon ng inquiry patungkol sa kabuoang pinsala ng oil spill sa Oriental Mindoro at mga karatig na lugar.
Base sa inisyal na datos ng Department of Environment and Natural Resources nasa halos 591 hectares ng coral reefs, 1,636 hectares naman ng mangroves at 362 hectares ng seagrass o seeaweeds ang maaaring apektado ng oil spill.
