PCG: Company that chartered the MT Princess Empress also owns MT Terra Nova cargo

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 4:35 p.m.) — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Tuesday divulged that the owner of the MT Terra Nova’s 1.4 million liter fuel cargo was the SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corp— the same company who hired the ship that spilled 800,000 liters of oil in Oriental Mindoro last year. 

The MT Princess Empress sank in the waters off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro in 2023, destroying local livelihood and plunging several towns into a state of calamity. More than a year later, another oil tanker sank, this time in the waters of Bataan. 

A report of Rappler revealed that the company that chartered the doomed MT Princess Empress was the SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corp, which is San Miguel Corporation’s fuel import handling firm. 

Now, the same company has also been revealed as the owner of the MT Terra Nova’s massive oil cargo.  

“SL Harbor Bulk,” PCG Commandant Ronni Gavan said in a press briefing when asked who owns the cargo. 

PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo also sent the complete name of the company in the video conference’s chat box, which is the SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corp. 

Mitigating oil spill

However, Gavan said that their priority remains to be mitigating the oil spill itself. 

“We have to finish this as rapidly as possible,” said Gavan. 

Gavan said that once the smoke settles, all efforts would be dedicated to investigation and law enforcement.  

The PCG also tried to appease public’s concern over the oil spill reach, saying that the government is on top of the situation.  

“Walang oil sheen going towards Manila,” Gavan said. (There is no oil sheen going towards Manila.)

According to Gavan, an inspection conducted on Tuesday revealed that there is no oil sheens in Bulacan and Cavite. Greenpeace Philippines earlier revealed aerial photos showing an oil streak in Bulacan, while fisherfolk group Pamalakaya reported oil on the shores of Cavite.

“There were some posts in the past days na hindi talaga namin mahanap yung mga pinost nila na yun. We did aerial and surface search, wala kaming makitang ganoon. I’m not saying it is fake,” Gavan said. (There were some posts in the past days that we really could not find what they posted. We did aerial and surface searches, and we could not find anything like it.)

Gavan, however, said that it is possible for oil sheen to dissipate under the sun or get absorbed by the government’s containment efforts.

Siphoning the oil from the MT Terra Nova has been the PCG’s main plan to prevent an environmental disaster, however, it has yet to begin this as they needed to cap the ongoing leaks.

Gavan said that siphoning could begin on Thursday. The PCG Commandant called the operations dangerous, as they will have to penetrate the vessel to siphon out the oil.