By Junex Doronio
MANILA — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) swiftly responded to the oil spill from the sunken motor tanker Terra Nova off Bataan, beginning the collection of oil on Friday, July 26, 2024.
The operation, expected to take seven days of siphoning, aims to counter the spread of the spill.
The Terra Nova capsized early Thursday, July 25, 2024, resulting in the death of one person.
PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo stated that the incident occurred 3.6 nautical miles east of Lamao Point in Limay town around 1:10 a.m. on Thursday.
Sixteen of the seventeen crew members on board were rescued. The rescued crew claimed they secured the motor tanker’s valve before abandoning the ship.
“Based on the assessment by our Marine Environmental Protection personnel, considering the ship sank 34 meters deep, the siphoning can be completed within seven days,” Rear Admiral Balilo said.
He clarified that the oil spill originated from the working fuel of the motor tanker, not from the 1.4 million liters of stored industrial oil.
“Although only a small amount of oil was detected, we applied dispersant and collected the emulsified oil, indicating no leakage from the main tank,” Balilo noted.
“Oil spill booms, dispersants, and environmental protection personnel are already in the area,” he added.
(el Amigo/mnm)
