Princess Empress and Terranova incidents – IOPC Funds’ Director returns to the Philippines

IOPC Funds’ Director, Mr Gaute Sivertsen (second from right), meets the Solicitor General of the Philippines, Atty Darlene Marie Berberabe (third from right). They are joined by IOPC Funds’ Claims Managers, Mr Matthew de Plater (left) and Ms Ana Cuesta.

IOPC Funds’ Director, Mr Gaute Sivertsen returned to the Philippines from 26 to 30 January 2026 and held meetings with officials and stakeholders involved in the Princess Empress and Terranova oil pollution incidents. He was accompanied by Claims Managers, Mr Matthew de Plater and Ms Ana Cuesta.

Since the incidents, the IOPC Funds has worked closely with the vessels’ liability insurers, the Shipowners’ P&I Club and Steamship Mutual Underwriting Association Ltd., respectively, to ensure a coordinated response.  Ahead of their travel to the Philippines, the IOPC Funds team met with representatives of both Clubs at their regional offices in Singapore between 20 and 23 January.

During their latest visit to the Philippines, the IOPC team held productive meetings with various National Government Agencies, including senior officials of the Department of Justice, the Office of the Solicitor General, the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and the Philippine Coast Guard. The team also travelled to Lamao, Bataan, to observe the distribution of compensation to fisheries claimants impacted by the Terranova incident. While in Bataan, they paid a courtesy visit to the Provincial Legal Office of Bataan.

                                          Claimants receive compensation in Lamao, Bataan.

Throughout their engagements in the Philippines, the Director and the Claims Managers took opportunities to clarify the role of the IOPC Funds where necessary and provide guidance on the claims submission process. The Director highlighted the impending time bar for submitting claims for compensation related to the Princess Empress incident and stressed the need for government agencies and other eligible claimants to meet the strict deadline of 28 February 2026, the third anniversary of the incident. He thanked the Member State’s officials and other stakeholders for their continued cooperation with the IOPC Funds and reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to facilitating claims submissions and ensuring the prompt payment of compensation to all eligible claimants.

Further information on the latest developments in the Princess Empress incident can be found here, along with specific details for claimants, including claim forms in both English and Tagalog. Similarly, information on the Terranova incident is available here, with claimant-specific details and related documents accessible in both languages here.