Philippines are trying hard to contain the oil spill caused by a sunken tanker

MANILA, July 25 (Xinhua) — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and other volunteers rushed to contain a major oil spill from a sunken tanker carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel in Manila Bay on Thursday.

The MT Terra Nova, the Philippine-flagged tanker, capsized and eventually sank shortly after midnight 3.6 nautical miles east of Limay, a city in Bataan province.

The ship was heading south to Iloilo province in the central Philippines when the accident occurred. According to PCG, 16 of the 17 crew members were rescued, one died.

When fuel oil leaked from the tanker in Manila Bay, authorities immediately tried to contain the oil spill.

Three 44-meter-long multipurpose response vessels have been deployed to apply oil dispersants and contain the spill, the PCG told media. The agency has also set a seven-day response target to pump the oil out of the sunken tanker and prevent further spread.

“The tapping is not a major technical effort and can be done quickly,” PCG spokesman Rear Admiral Armando Balilo told reporters, noting that the ship sank 34 meters deep, “which is quite shallow.”

Balilo said the PCG is currently working with several oil spill response agencies to control the spread of oil. In addition, the PCG will ensure that operations comply with the National Oil Spill Emergency Plan, a multi-agency and public-private partnership approach to oil spill response.

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

“So far, the oil spill is minimal,” Balilo said, adding that only a “minimal” amount of the “working fuel” used to power the ship had been spilled.

The PCG said it had already dispatched personnel to warn local governments in nearby coastal provinces that could be affected by the oil spill.

An international marine conservation organization called Oceana expressed concern about the oil spill on Thursday and called on the Philippine government to bring the spread of the oil slick under control.

Gloria Estenzo Ramos, vice president of Oceana, said the government must immediately assess the impact of the oil spill on the marine environment, including fisheries, ensure that procedures and standards are put in place and investigate who was directly responsible for this incident at sea.

The PCG announced that it was investigating the cause of the accident.