The Philippine Coast Guard has set a target of seven days to complete the clean-up of the approximately 3.7-kilometer-long oil slick that was detected after the incident. The sinking of the tanker MT Terra Nova, the Philippine flag is flying. A tanker crew member was killed when the ship capsized while sailing to the central port of Iloilo, about 7 kilometers from Limay, on Thursday morning.
The sinking was caused by typhoon Gaemi and heavy rains boosted by the seasonal monsoon that have lashed Manila and surrounding areas in recent days. Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Rear Admiral Armando Balilo said on Thursday that only fuel had leaked from the tanker and that its cargo of fuel oil appeared to be intact so far.
“Pay your bill”
An investigation into the causes of the sinking has been launched. Armando Balilo, however, said the tanker “did not violate the rules and regulations” of navigating in bad weather, as no warning notice was given before departure. Environmental group Greenpeace has already warned that the owners of MT Terra Nova will have to “pay the environmental bill” for the damage and compensate local communities.
One of the worst oil spills in the Philippines occurred in February 2023 when a tanker carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil sank in the central island of Mindoro, south of the capital. Diesel fuel and thick oil from that ship polluted the waters and beaches along the coast, destroying the fishing and tourism industries.