A wrecked Philippine tanker carrying 800,000 liters of fuel oil spilled part of its cargo into the country’s waters, authorities said on Thursday and said they were working to locate the ship and contain the spill.
The Princess Empress was en route from Bataan Province (Northwest) near Manila to central Iloilo Province (Central) on Tuesday when it suffered an engine failure and sank in rough seas off Mindoro Oriental Province.
The Philippine Coast Guard initially said it was diesel powering the vessel, not heavy fuel oil from its cargo.
However, the results of water sample analyzes showed that some of the cargo had also flowed off the coast of the Naujan municipality, the Coast Guard said on Thursday, raising concerns about the area’s rich marine life and coral reefs.
According to the Coast Guard on Wednesday, the spill had spread over 24 square kilometers of water. How much diesel fuel and heating oil leaked out has yet to be determined.
Provincial Gov. Humerlito Dolor said a search is still underway to find the sunken tanker, believed to be 460 meters below sea level, to stop the leak.
“The Coast Guard has assured us that once they identify (the location) they are ready to siphon the oil,” Dolor told local media.
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard deployed booms to try to contain the oil slick and sprayed chemicals to break down the oil.
Coastal fishermen and tour operators are heavily dependent on the waters and their livelihoods could be threatened.
Oil has been discovered along a stretch of water about 60 kilometers between Naujan and the township of Bongabong, said Ram Temena, director of disaster operations in Mindoro Oriental.
“We have many fish sanctuaries along the coast,” he pointed out. “This could have a huge impact due to the possibility of oil depositing on coral reefs and affecting marine biodiversity.”
Part of the spills washed onto the banks of at least two villages in Naujan and one in the municipality of Pola.
Andrea Riva, a worker at a resort south of Pola, said she and her colleagues “crossed their fingers” that the waves didn’t wash the spill into surrounding waters.