Oil Tanker Capsizes And Submerges Off Philippines; Huge Oil Spill Feared (Photo @@coastguardph)
A Philippine-flagged tanker with 17 crew members and 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel oil capsized and sank off Manila today. At least 16 crew members have been successfully rescued and one is missing from the capsized tanker. A search operation has been underway for the missing crew member, and strong winds and high waves were hampering rescue efforts. The maritime incident has also caused fear of potential oil spill in the region.
Philippine Coat Gaud, in a post on X, said that it is responding to the maritime mishap involving Motor Tanker (MT) Terra Nova that occurred 3.6 nautical miles east of Lamao Point, Limay, Bataan. The tanker was reportedly heading for the central city of Iloilo when it capsized in Manila Bay in the early hours.
PCG 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 1:10AM today, 25 July 2024.
✍️https://t.co/tN3nSkxRTd#CoastGuardPH pic.twitter.com/qC2VKPdmiq
— Philippine Coast Guard (@coastguardph) July 25, 2024
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It is reported that an oil spill stretching several kilometres has been detected in the area, a busy waterway, and the authorities are rushing to prevent the spill from leaking further. “We are racing against time and we will try to do our best to contain it immediately and stop the fuel from leaking,” Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Rear Admiral Armando Balilo said, adding that the efforts are being disrupted due to the weather conditions.
The Spokesperson also highlighted that there would be a negative impact in Manila if all the oil were leaked from the tanker, and that it would be the biggest spill in Philippine history.
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The officials have stated that it is investigating the cause of the submerging, including the potential weather disturbance in the vicinity waters. The tanker vessel sand amid heavy rain lashed weather disturbance in the vicinity waters. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gavan said that it was in February 2023 that the Philippines saw one of its worst oil spills when a fuel tanker carrying 800,000 litres of industrial fuel oil sank in waters off the central island of Mindoro.
The thick oils from the spill had contaminated the water and beaches along the coast of Oriental Mindoro province, causing troubles to the fishing and tourism industries.
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