Divers inspect another oil tanker that sank off Philippine coast
Published date: Mon, 29 Jul 2024 12:29:40 +0700
Divers inspected another oil tanker that sank off the Philippines on Saturday.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) conducted the underwater assessment on the MTKR Jason Bradley that sank some 30 feet underwater, around 600 yards from the town of Mariveles in Bataan province on July 27 evening.
The PCG said divers have sealed fuel leaks on the vessel, which was carrying an undetermined quantity of diesel contrary to the shipping company's initial report that there was no cargo onboard.
The PCG said in a statement: 'The PCG response team is working on properly removing the diesel cargo with the help of a contracted salvor.
'An investigation will commence after safely recovering the cargo to avoid negative impacts on the marine environment and nearby coastal communities.'
Salvage operations were expected to be completed in one to two weeks, the PCG said.
The incident comes just two days after the MT Terra Nova oil tanker sank off the same province amid rough weather during typhoon Gaemi.
Authorities are now scrambling to siphon the 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel onboard.
