A cargo of 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel carried by the oil tanker MT Terra Nova, which sank Thursday in the Philippines, off the coast of Manila, has begun leaking into the sea.
According to the Philippine Coast Guard, divers who inspected the ship’s hull found minimal leaks in the valves, stressing that the situation is not alarming at this time.
PCG Commander Admiral CG Ronnie Gil L Gavan has directed the deployment of three 44-meter multi-role response vessels (MRRVs) to augment ongoing oil spill response operations in Bataan.
✍️https://t.co/mG1BTmHNha#DOTrPH 🇵🇭#CoastGuardPH#MaritimeSectorWorks pic.twitter.com/hJmWHaJnlJ
– Philippine Coast Guard (@coastguardph) July 25, 2024
The coast guard had previously announced that it wants to prevent an environmental disaster by recovering as quickly as possible the fuel carried by the ship that sank at a depth of 34 meters.
A vessel capable of transporting the recovered oil is heading to the wreck site, and the company responsible for removing the oil cargo and transferring it to another vessel has been instructed to begin work tomorrow, Sunday, if possible. According to authorities, this operation could last seven days.
The Philippine-flagged MT Terra Nova sank on Thursday morning amid heavy rains fueled by Typhoon Gemi and monsoons, and one crew member lost his life.