A tanker carrying 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel oil capsized and sank in Manila Bay, Philippine Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said.
The vessel, MT Terra Nova, was on its way to the central city of Iloilo when it sank in Manila Bay, nearly seven kilometres from the municipality of Limay in Bataan province, near the capital, early this morning.
An oil slick stretching several kilometres was found in the busy waterway. Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Rear Admiral Armando Balilo said at a briefing:
We are racing against time and we will try to do our best to contain it immediately and stop the fuel from leaking.
He warned that if all the oil from the tanker leaked out, it would be the largest spill in Philippine history. Balilo also added:
There is a big danger that Manila will be affected, even the shoreline of Manila, if the fuel will leak, because it is within Manila Bay.
The vessel MT Terra Nova may have capsized due to heavy rains caused by Typhoon Gaemi, which hit the National Capital Region the day before. It is specified that now at the site of the fuel oil spill a 3.7 km long stain has formed, it is moving in the eastern and north-eastern directions. Marine conservationists have been mobilised to contain it, the publication said.
The strongest for the last eight years typhoon Gaemi hit the Philippines on July 24. Heavy rains flooded the country’s capital Manila and nearby cities. The authorities closed schools, offices and declared a state of emergency in the region. The storm also intensified seasonal monsoon rains, causing landslides and floods. According to the agency, at least 12 people died, about 600 thousand were evacuated.
Typhoon killed two people and injured 201 others in Taiwan. About 340,000 households faced power outages. In the south-east of China more than 150 thousand people were evacuated. Emergency response measures have been introduced in several provinces.
