As we left Malina earlier than originally planned all were busy the whole morning getting things ready. Food aid arrived and was loaded by crane: 250 sacs of rice, noodles, sardines, canned beef, biscuits and also clothing for the population in the affected communities. We are transporting these goods for a Filippino aid organisation, who will then distribute it on site.

While I was packing sacs under the front deck I suddenly realized that these stores make it visible how much the people in Guimaras depend on the sea for their living. When we had an equivalent oil spill in the German North Sea eight years ago, no food aid was needed - you could still buy it in the supermarkets on site. But here people are virtually living off their environment. Each damage done to nature not only affects certain economic branches like tourism - it threatens their whole life.

Punctually at 3 pm we left the port of Manila. The Esperanza is running high speed on the main engine to bring us to Guimaras as fast as possible. Our scheduled arrival is tomorrow afternoon. Volunteers from Greenpeace in the Philippines are already on site and helping. Communication is difficult, but one of them, Albert, send me a short message desbribing his experience: "As we are walking along the beach, instead of white powdery sand thick sludge is covering my feet."

See more photos of the oil slick on the Website of Greenpeace Southeast Asia.