Philippine Coast Guard sprays oil dispersant around sunken ship
Published date: Mon, 05 Aug 2024 11:39:35 +0700
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) sprayed oil dispersants on a spill caused by a sunken tanker in the Philippines.
Footage taken on August 3 shows a PCG vessel dousing the sheen off the town of Limay in Bataan province, where the MTKR Terra Nova tanker sank during rough weather on July 25.
Oil spill booms were also deployed to contain the spreading pollution.
PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gavan said: 'The purpose is to dissolve the oil and make it evaporate. Aside from oil dispersant, water cannons are also being used.'
Siphoning operations were initially expected to start on July 30, but were delayed by two weeks as divers were sealing the tanker's leaking valves with metal caps.
The PCG has downplayed the leak, saying the rate of oil discharge was less than one litre per hour and the resulting oil sheens were 'very thin'.
The MT Terra Nova sank off Bataan province typhoon Gaemi lashed the Philippines early morning on July 25. One crewman aboard died, while 16 others were rescued.
The Philippine Coast Guard is bracing to contain a major oil spill, as the vessel was reported to have been carrying 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel.
Two other vessels also off Bataan province.
In February 2023, the MT Princess Empress tanker carrying 800,000 litres of industrial fuel sank and caused a disastrous oil spill in the Philippines' Oriental Mindoro province.
The spill took three months to contain, destroying swathes of coral reefs and disrupting the livelihoods of thousands of fishermen across at least six provinces.
