MANILA, July 25, 2024 (AFP) – A Philippine-flagged tanker carrying 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel oil capsized and sank off Manila on Thursday, authorities said, as they sought to contain a spill stretching several kilometres.
The MT Terra Nova had been heading for the central city of Iloilo when it sank in Manila Bay, nearly seven kilometres (4.3 miles) off Limay municipality in Bataan province, near the capital, in the early hours.
Strong winds and high waves were hampering response efforts, Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista told a briefing.
“We were able to rescue 16 out of 17 crew, one is missing,” Bautista said.
Four of the crew were receiving medical treatment.
A search and rescue operation was under way for the missing crew member, the Philippine Coast Guard said.
The MT Terra Nova “capsized and eventually submerged”, the coast guard said in a report.
The coast guard said it was investigating “if there was an existing weather disturbance in the vicinity waters when the maritime incident occurred.”
An oil slick stretching about 3.7 kilometres was being carried by a “strong current” in an easterly, north-easterly direction.
Marine environmental protection personnel have been mobilised to help contain it.
Coast guard Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gavan said he has ordered an investigation into the incident.
The vessel’s sinking happened as heavy rains fuelled by Typhoon Gaemi and the seasonal monsoon lashed Manila and surrounding regions in recent days.
In February 2023, a fuel tanker carrying 800,000 litres of industrial fuel oil sank in waters off the central island of Mindoro.
Diesel fuel and thick oil from that vessel contaminated the waters and beaches along the coast of Oriental Mindoro province, devastating the fishing and tourism industries.
The oil dispersed over hundreds of kilometres of waters famed for having some of the most diverse marine life in the world.
Thousands of fishermen were ordered to stay on shore until they could fish safely, and swimming was also banned.
