The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed that molasses spilled from a tanker in the waters of Sagay Marine Reserve in Sagay City, Negros Occidental, on Wednesday, August 7. According to City Administrator Ryan Bonghanoy, the spill involved more than 300 metric tons of molasses. This is a response to the leak in the MT Mary Queen of Charity tank.
“Yesterday, 07 August 2024, at around 9 AM, port personnel observed discoloration in the waters surrounding MT Mary Queen of Charity,” the PCG said in a statement.
“The 490-GT vessel was conducting shore-to-ship operations, from lorry truck loading molasses to the ship. He added that they had already loaded approximately 300 metric tons of molasses when monitoring the surrounding waters’ discoloration.
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Lopez Sugar Central in Barangay Fabrica, Sagay, produced the molasses and scheduled it for transport to Luzon. After spotting the spill, Bonghanoy instructed Sagay Marine Reserve Resource Assessment (SMRRA) head Roberto “Bobby” Toggle to ask the ship master to stop loading the molasses.
The tanker was supposed to depart with 300 metric tons of molasses at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. However, Bonghanoy said it could not leave the city until the mess was cleaned up. He also added that the owner should be held responsible for the spill.
“They have first to pay for the damage incurred by the spill,” Bonghanoy said.
The PCG’s Marine Environmental Protection Unit (MEPU) conducted water sampling to assess the surrounding seas. The PCG also contacted the City Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO) and the concerned local government unit (LGU) for further safety measures.
The PCG response team advised the master of MT Mary Queen of Charity to file a marine protest regarding the incident.
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According to Food Insight, molasses is a liquid sugar that mostly contains sucrose, monosaccharides, fructose, and glucose. It’s a byproduct of sugar beets and sugar cane refinement processes.
But what is molasses used for? According to Britannica, lighter grades of molasses are used for food production, such as baking and candy-making. Meanwhile, blackstrap molasses can be added to animal feed or used to make vinegar and citric acid.
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