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

IOPC Funds’ Director (third from right) meets with the Secretary of the Philippines’ Department of Justice (centre). They are joined by officials from the Department, the IOPC Funds and the Claims Submission Office for the Terranova and Princess Empress incidents

IOPC Funds’ Director, Mr Gaute Sivertsen and Claims Managers, Matthew de Plater and Ana Cuesta, travelled to the Philippines from 27 to 31 January and held meetings with officials and stakeholders involved in the Princess Empress and Terranova oil pollution incidents.

The Philippines is Party to both the 1992 Civil Liability Convention and the 1992 Fund Convention. The IOPC Funds has worked collaboratively with the liability insurers of the Princess Empress and Terranova—the Shipowners’ P&I Club and Steamship Mutual Underwriting Association Ltd. (Steamship Mutual), respectively—since the incidents occurred.  Prior to flying to the Philippines, the IOPC Funds team visited representatives of both Clubs at their regional offices in Singapore.

During their latest visit, the Director and the Claims Managers held productive meetings with various National Government Agencies, including the Secretaries of the Department of Transport and the Department of Justice. The team also travelled to Dasmariñas, Cavite, where a Claims Submission Office (CSO) has been set up to facilitate the submission of claims for compensation by those affected by the Terranova incident. They also visited Rosario, Cavite, where a new mobile claims collection centre is currently located, and paid a courtesy visit to the  Mayor of Rosario.

The Director and the Claims Managers later visited a CSO for the Terranova incident in Bataan, where they also paid a courtesy visit to the Mayor of Limay.

Throughout their engagements in the Philippines, the Director took opportunities to clarify the role of the IOPC Funds where necessary and provide guidance on the claims submission process. He commended officials and stakeholders for their 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.