Philippines races to contain oil spill from sunken tanker

Manila: The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and other volunteers have rushed to contain a large oil spill from a sunken tanker carrying 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel in Manila Bay on Thursday.

The MT Terra Nova, the tanker flying under the flag of the Philippines, capsized and eventually sank 3.6 nautical miles east of Limay, a town in Bataan province, shortly after midnight.

The vessel was sailing south to Iloilo province in the central Philippines when the accident happened. Sixteen of the 17 crew members were rescued while one died, according to the PCG.

As the tanker began leaking fuel oil in Manila Bay, authorities have scrambled to contain the spill, reported Xinhua news agency.

Three 44-meter multirole response vessels have been deployed to apply oil dispersants to mitigate the spill, the PCG told media. The agency also sets an operational target of seven days to finish siphoning the oil from the sunken tanker to stop further spread.

"Siphoning will not be very technical and can be done quickly," PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armando Balilo told reporters, mentioning that the vessel sunk 34 meters deep, "which is considerably shallow."

Balilo said the PCG is currently working with several oil spill responders to control the oil from spreading, and that the PCG will ensure the operations follow the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan, an interagency and public-private partnership approach to combatting oil spills.

When asked what would happen if all 1.4 million liters of fuel seeps into the sea, Balilo said the fuel might reach the shores of the Philippine capital Manila, and that would be the worst situation.

"So far, the oil spill is minimal," Balilo said, adding that only a "minimal" amount of "working fuel" used by the vessel to sail has leaked.

The PCG said it has already dispatched its personnel to warn the local governments in nearby coastal provinces that may be affected by the oil slick.

An international marine protection organization named Oceana expressed alarm over the oil spill on Thursday, urging the Philippine government to control the spread of the oil slick.

Gloria Estenzo Ramos, Oceana's vice president, said the government should immediately assess the oil spill's effects on the marine environment, including fisheries, ensure that procedures and standards are set in motion, and investigate who is directly responsible for this maritime incident.

The PCG said it is investigating the cause of the accident.