Divers conduct initial siphoning test on sunken tanker in the Philippines

Divers conducted an initial siphoning assessment on the MT Terranova that sank off the Philippines during a typhoon late July.

Video taken on August 13 shows personnel attaching tubes to the vessel's cargo tank, then pumping water inside to push the oil upward.

The fuel then flows through a hose attached to a barge above the water off Limay town in Bataan province where the tanker capsized.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said the initial siphoning was done to observe the rate of fuel collection, and to determine how long the operation would be completed.

CG Lieutenant Commander Michael John Encina said in an update today, August 14: 'The safe working pressure during siphoning was maintained at a maximum of 0.15 bar.

'Approximately 300 liters of oil were transferred to a tank to test the equipment, with no leaks observed and minimal oiling effectively contained using one length of boom.

'Additional equipment is expected today to facilitate the next phase of oil transfer operations.'

Captain Rudy Arcellana, Salvage Master of Harbor Star Shipping Services hired to assist with the task, said: 'The siphoning should not be done suddenly. We are adjusting, and we are starting slow. There is still water mixed with the fuel because we encountered a problem with the compressor.'

The siphoning operations were initially expected to start on July 30, but were delayed 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 as 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.

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.