A handout photo released by the Philippine Coast Guard shows the tip of MT Terra Nova protruding in Manila Bay, Philippines, July 25, 2024. - Photo: Philippine Coast Guard/Handout via Reuters
MANILA: Divers have noticed "minimal" oil leaks from a Philippine tanker carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel that sank in Manila Bay on Thursday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Saturday (July 27).
PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armando Balilo said divers inspected the tanker MT Terra Nova on the sea floor and saw oil leaking from the valves.
"There were minimal leaks from the valves, but as observed, the leaks are not alarming yet," Balilo said at an online press conference, adding that the leaks are still "manageable" at this point.
"There is no cause for alarm. Unlike the oil spill in 2023, this one is small and manageable," Balilo said, referring to the massive oil spill from the MT Princess Empress carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil that sank off Mindoro province last year.
The PCG has been checking the number of valves and the quantity of oil that has leaked so far.
And the agency said it hopes to start siphoning fuel oil on Sunday from the tanker, and that the extraction will take at least seven days.
"One thing is sure: the fuel cargo tanks are still intact," Balilo said, adding that the PCG has deployed oil spill booms and sprayed dispersant in areas with oil slicks.
The tanker would eventually be removed from the area due to the danger it poses to vessels and fishing boats passing the maritime route, Balilo said. - Xinhua
