A tanker carrying 1.4 million liters of oil has started to leak after it sank in Manila Bay, the Philippine coastguard said on Saturday as it tried to prevent an environmental disaster.
The Philippine-flagged MT Terra Nova sank in heavy weather on Thursday morning, killing one crew member and threatening one of the worst oil spills in the Southeast Asian archipelago.
“Minimum leakage”
Divers inspecting the ship’s hull noted a “minimal leak” at the valves, while Coast Guard spokesman Rear Admiral Armando Balilo said the situation was “not clear” at this time.” “It’s a small leak,” Balilo said, adding that “the reservoirs are intact. “We hope to be able to start siphoning the oil tomorrow,” he said.
The Coast Guard had previously reported that oil used to propel the boat had leaked, but that its tanks were intact. The oil slick, which has more than tripled in size, now stretches 12-14 kilometers across the gulf, on which thousands of fishermen and tourism operators depend for their livelihoods.
Mr. Balilo said a boat capable of carrying oil from a tanker sunk about 34 meters off the coast of Manila is on its way.
Fear of “ecological disaster”.
The Coast Guard warned that it would be an “environmental disaster” if the entire cargo escaped. Floating barriers were deployed in case of a “worst-case scenario,” i.e., a leak from a tank containing industrial fuel, according to officials.
Three coast guard ships also started spraying dispersant on the oil. Balilo called for a halt to fishing in Manila Bay to prevent people from “eating contaminated fish.” Authorities initially said the cargo was diesel used to power the ship, but now believe it was a mixture of diesel and industrial fuel oil.
The ship capsized on Thursday morning about 7 kilometers from the city of Limay, located in Manila Bay opposite the capital. An investigation into the causes of the sinking has been launched. According to the expert website vesselfinder.com, 16 out of 17 crew members were rescued from the 65-meter-long tanker built in 2002.
7 days siphoning
The sinking was caused by typhoon Gaemi and heavy rains from the seasonal monsoon that lashed Manila and surrounding areas in recent days. According to the Philippine Weather Service, the monsoon has weakened since Thursday, creating more favorable conditions for ongoing operations. The Coast Guard estimates the cargo will take at least seven days to float. On Friday, they met with representatives of the owner of the MT Terra Nova and representatives of the private company responsible for the rescue operation to discuss methods.
The Philippines has struggled to contain oil spills in the past. One of the worst oil spills in the archipelago occurred in February 2023 when an oil tanker carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil sank on the central island of Mindoro, south of the capital.
Oil from the ship polluted the waters and beaches along the coast, destroying the fishing and tourism industries. Oil is spread over hundreds of kilometers in waters inhabited by the world’s most diverse marine life.
In 2006, an oil tanker sank off the central island of Guimaras, spilling tens of thousands of liters of oil that destroyed marine resources, destroyed local fishing grounds and covered part of the coastline in black sludge.