(UPDATES) A PHILIPPINE-FLAGGED tanker carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil capsized and sank off Manila on Thursday, authorities said, as they raced to contain a spill that stretched out for more than three kilometers.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to assess the impact of the oil spill, which the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) warned could be the biggest in the country’s history.
The MT Terra Nova was heading for the central city of Iloilo when it capsized in Manila Bay, nearly seven kilometers off Limay municipality in Bataan province, near the capital, in the early hours.
RESCUED CREW This handout photo taken on July 25, 2024, received from the Philippine Coast Guard, shows the rescued crew of oil tanker MT Terra Nova receiving first aid aboard Coast Guard ship Melchora Aquino off Manila Bay. AFP PHOTO
The vessel went down a day after heavy rains fueled by Typhoon Carina and the seasonal monsoon lashed Manila and surrounding regions.
An oil spill stretching several kilometers has been detected in the busy waterway, and the PCG is preparing to deploy floating barriers to contain the slick.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the vessel was causing a massive oil spill in the area where it sank.
He said PCG personnel were able to immediately respond within 30 minutes after a distress call was made by the crew of the oil tanker.
“Unfortunately, five minutes after the distress call was sent, the tanker started to sink,” Bautista said.
Bautista said 16 of the 17 crew members had been rescued from the stricken vessel.
A search was underway for the missing crew member, but Bautista said strong winds and high waves were hampering these efforts.
Four of the crew were receiving medical treatment.
Bautista said several private shipping companies were also assisting.
An investigation into the cause of the incident was underway, but coast guard spokesman Rear Adm. Armando Balilo said the vessel had not broken rules on heavy weather sailing.
A public storm warning signal had not been raised when the MT Terra Nova departed Limay and “therefore did not violate rules and regulations,” Balilo said in a statement.
At a briefing earlier Thursday, Balilo said authorities were “racing against time” to contain the spill and stop more fuel from leaking.
He warned that if all the oil in the tanker were to leak, it would be the biggest spill in Philippine history.
“There is a big danger that Manila will be affected, even the shoreline of Manila, if the fuel will leak, because it is within Manila Bay,” Balilo said.
Thousands of fishermen and tour operators are dependent on the waters for their livelihoods.
A photo released by the coast guard showed the MT Terra Nova almost entirely submerged in rough seas.
It has since sunk 34 meters below the waves, which Balilo said was “considerably shallow” and meant siphoning the oil out of the tanker “can be done quickly.”
Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Ronnie Gavan said they had set a target of seven days to complete the siphoning.
FIRST RESPONDER Philippine Coast Guard responds to a maritime incident involving Philippine-flagged Motor Tanker (MT) Terra Nova that capsized and eventually submerged 3.6 nautical miles east off Lamao Point, Limay, Bataan, at around 1:10 a.m. on July 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD
FIRST RESPONDER Philippine Coast Guard responds to a maritime incident involving Philippine-flagged Motor Tanker (MT) Terra Nova that capsized and eventually submerged 3.6 nautical miles east off Lamao Point, Limay, Bataan, at around 1:10 a.m. on July 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD
FIRST RESPONDER Philippine Coast Guard responds to a maritime incident involving Philippine-flagged Motor Tanker (MT) Terra Nova that capsized and eventually submerged 3.6 nautical miles east off Lamao Point, Limay, Bataan, at around 1:10 a.m. on July 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD
FIRST RESPONDER Philippine Coast Guard responds to a maritime incident involving Philippine-flagged Motor Tanker (MT) Terra Nova that capsized and eventually submerged 3.6 nautical miles east off Lamao Point, Limay, Bataan, at around 1:10 a.m. on July 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD
FIRST RESPONDER Philippine Coast Guard responds to a maritime incident involving Philippine-flagged Motor Tanker (MT) Terra Nova that capsized and eventually submerged 3.6 nautical miles east off Lamao Point, Limay, Bataan, at around 1:10 a.m. on July 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD
FIRST RESPONDER Philippine Coast Guard responds to a maritime incident involving Philippine-flagged Motor Tanker (MT) Terra Nova that capsized and eventually submerged 3.6 nautical miles east off Lamao Point, Limay, Bataan, at around 1:10 a.m. on July 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD
FIRST RESPONDER Philippine Coast Guard responds to a maritime incident involving Philippine-flagged Motor Tanker (MT) Terra Nova that capsized and eventually submerged 3.6 nautical miles east off Lamao Point, Limay, Bataan, at around 1:10 a.m. on July 25, 2024. PHOTOS BY PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD
An oil slick stretching about 3.7 kilometers was being carried by a “strong current” in an easterly, northeasterly direction, the PCG said in a report.
Marine environmental protection personnel have been mobilized to help contain the slick.
“It will definitely affect the marine environment,” Balilo said, describing the amount of oil on the ship as “enormous.”
One of the worst oil spills in the Philippines was in February 2023, when a tanker carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil sank off the central island of Mindoro.
WITH ERNIE ESCONDE
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