Oil tanker with 1,500 tonnes sinks near Philippines
An oil tanker carrying almost 1.5 million litres of industrial fuel has capsized and sank near the capital of the Philippines, causing an oil spill. Sixteen crew members of the Philippine-flagged MT Teerra Nova were rescued with another remaining missing, according to Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.
Mr Bautista said that the spill was detected but a response from the authorities was being hampered by strong winds and high waves. The incident came just a day after Typhoon Gaemi caused seasonal monsoon rains and causing large parts of Metro Manila to be submerged with the suburbs hit by deep floods. The typhoon made landfall in Taiwan, killing three people and leaving hundreds more wounded.
The oil tanker MT Terra Nova was on its way to the central Philippine city of Iloilo when it sank. The oil spill left stretched for several kilometres, according to authorities. It “capsized and eventually submerged” a report from the coast guard said. They added that they would be investigating if bad weather had played a part in the oil tanker’s sinking.
Manila Bay where it capsized sees busy shipping lanes, with its shores being home to shopping malls, casino resorts, and fishing communities.
In March 2023, another oil tanker with 800,000 litres of industrial fuel sank of the coast of Oriental Mindoro province. That ship reached the shores of a number of nearby fishing villages, leaving the beaches coated in a black sludge.
