16 of the 17 crew members have been rescued, and one is missing. An investigation is underway.
A rude awakening at sea. A Philippine-flagged tanker carrying 1.4 million liters of oil sank off the coast of Manila on Thursday, July 25, according to the authorities, who are trying to prevent an oil spill and are searching for a missing crew member.
The MT Terra Nova was heading for the city of Iloilo, in the central Philippines, when it capsized and sank early on Thursday, around seven kilometers from the town of Limay, located at Manila Bay, opposite the capital.
“We are (engaged) in a race against time and will do our best to contain it immediately and stop the fuel leak,” Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Rear Admiral Armando Balilo told a press conference.
An oil slick some 3.7 kilometers long was detected in this busy shipping lane, and was driven by a “strong current” in an easterly and northeasterly direction. Armando Balilo went on to estimate that if all the oil contained in the tanker were to leak, it would be the largest oil spill in Philippine history. “There’s a big risk that Manila will be affected, even the Manila coastline, if the fuel leaks, because it’s in Manila Bay,” he warned.
Investigation launched
The Secretary of State for Transport, Jaime Bautista, has indicated that 16 of the 17 crew members have been rescued, and one is missing. The ongoing search for him is complicated by strong winds and heavy swells. Four crew members are receiving medical treatment. The MT Terra Nova “capsized and was eventually submerged”, said the Philippine Coast Guard in a statement.
According to the same source, an investigation has been launched to determine whether there was any weather-related disturbance in the surrounding waters at the time of the sinking. Although there may have been some doubt, the coastguard assures us that the tanker “did not violate the rules” of navigation in difficult weather conditions.
The sinking occurred as heavy rains, linked to typhoon Gaemi and the seasonal monsoon, have fallen over the past few days in the northern Philippines, particularly Manila.
In February 2023, a Philippine tanker carrying 800,000 liters of fuel oil sank off the central island of Mindoro, south of the capital. Part of its cargo leaked out, polluting the waters and beaches of the province’s coastline, causing serious damage to the fishing and tourism industries. The oil spread over hundreds of kilometers in waters reputed to be home to some of the world’s most diverse marine flora and fauna.
In 2006, an oil tanker sank off the central island of Guimaras, spilling tens of thousands of liters of oil that destroyed a marine reserve, ruined local fishing grounds and covered part of the coastline with black sludge.
Source: BFMTV
