MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard has said it is monitoring a spill of diesel fuel stretching several kilometers after a tanker sank in the waters of Oriental Mindoro.
Oil tanker MT Princess Empress was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil from Bataan to Iloilo when its engine overheated, the PCG said. It then drifted toward the waters off Balingawan Point in Naujan town due to rough sea conditions until it became half-submerged.
The PGC on Tuesday said it monitored a spill of diesel fuel, but did not find in the sea any industrial fuel oil from the vessel’s cargo.
“The PCG team is set to install an oil spill boom to control the spillage,” it said.
In an update on Wednesday, the agency said the oil spill was estimated to be six kilometer-long and four kilometer-wide. It also confirmed that the vessel has completely sunk.
Potential impacts
In a statement, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said it is “monitoring the site in relation to the potential marine biodiversity impacts and the possible risk to lives and livelihoods in the area due to the direction of the current and distance from the shoreline which may be affected.”
The incident also prompted environmental group Greenpeace Philippines to urge the government to eliminate the country’s reliance on fossil fuels.
“If the government is really committed to protecting the environment, as it has claimed since its inauguration, it must end the Philippines’ fossil fuel dependence and start making oil, coal, and gas corporations accountable,” Greenpeace campaigner Jefferson Chua said.