Petron regrets the unfortunate incident involving the oil tanker MT Princess Empress that capsized in Oriental Mindoro early morning on 28 February 2023. However, we wish to clarify that the vessel was not carrying products from the Petron Bataan Refinery nor does Petron own the fuel oil cargo the tanker was carrying at the time of the incident.
With major investments for the enhancement of our Refinery, Petron has stopped producing fuel oil since 2016. Nonetheless, the company is one with the industry in extending assistance in the oil spill incident, heeding the call of DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla.
Through Waterborne Industry Oil Spill Equipment (WISE) Philippines, whose members also include other oil companies in the country, Petron facilitated the deployment of oil spill equipment needed to contain the product. The WISE vessel reached the incident site at 3:20 AM on March 1 and is now in coordination with Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
The Petron Bataan Refinery and Petron Mabini Terminal have also extended assistance to the oil spill response team headed by the PCG and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)by making available our oil spill teams and equipment to further aid in containment and clearing operations.
Petron’s refinery and operations personnel are adequately trained in operational safety, disaster preparedness, and emergency response including handling oil spills.