Oily waste siphoned from sunken Terra Nova

MANILA, Philippines — After a week of siphoning operations, workers of a salvor company were able to remove up to 402,000 liters of oily waste from the sunken motor tanker Terra Nova, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.

The PCG said yesterday that salvor firm Harbor Star conducted the siphoning from Aug. 19 to 25, with the largest volume of waste extracted on Aug. 24 at 121,724 liters.

On Aug. 25, the workers siphoned up to 101,603 liters of oily waste.

The Terra Nova was loaded with up to 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel when it sank in the waters off Limay town in Bataan amid Typhoon Carina on July 25.

The siphoning operations in two of the vessel’s eight cargo tanks were delayed on Sunday as the salvors had to change the containers that receive the waste.

The siphoned waste from the Terra Nova goes to a waiting barge and to a receiving tank before it is transported to the shore and to a treatment facility.

The Harbor Star used two booster pumps to increase its siphoning capacity.

PCG-Bataan station chief Lt. Cmdr. John Encina said he would ask the company to have an extra booster pump on standby in case one of the pumps malfunctions.

Two PCG vessels, BRPs Sindangan and Malamawi, used their water cannons to disperse oil sheens spotted around the area where the Terra Nova capsized.

Encina said oil sheens are unavoidable during siphoning operations.