Courtesy: PCG
AUTHORITIES on Thursday said that Philippine-flagged tanker carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel “capsized and eventually submerged” in waters off Bataan province.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said that strong winds and high waves were hampering response efforts but were able to rescue 16 out of 17 crew, one is missing.
Four of the crew members were receiving medical treatment.
Authorities sought to contain a spill stretching several kilometers.
In an initial report, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Motor Tanker (MT) Terra Nova capsized and eventually submerged nearly seven kilometers (4.3 miles) east of Lamao Point in Limay municipality at around 1:10 a.m.
It also said a search and rescue operation was underway for the missing crew member.
The PCG likewise said it was investigating “if there was an existing weather disturbance in the vicinity waters when the maritime incident occurred.”
It has deployed BRP Melchora Aquino to rescue the motor tanker’s crew and one of its aerial assets to assess the oil spill situation.
The PCG presented an aerial survey of the area, which shows an oil slick 10.37 kilometers or 5.6 nautical miles, east of Lamao Point, with an estimated coverage of 3.7 kilometers or two nautical miles.
But PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo clarified that only the “working fuel” of the ship or the fuel being used by the vessel to run has leaked. He added that the working fuel leak was only “minimal.”
