Philippine Coast Guard collects 1.3M tonnes of oil waste spilled from sunken ship

Salvors collected 1.3 million litres of oily waste spilled from a tanker that sank off the Philippine coast during a typhoon.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said fuel siphoning operations were nearing completion from the MV Terra Nova, which capsized during typhoon Gaemi in July.

In a statement, the PCG said: 'The contracted salvor, Harbor Star, reported over 1.3 million litres of collected oily waste from 19 August to 08 September 2024.'

Coast Guard Station Bataan Commander, CG Lieutenant Commander Michael John Encina, said most of the waste collected during the September 8 operation was composed of water.

The PCG said there was still a little over 100,000 litres of oil still left to recover.

Siphoning was initially expected to start on July 30, but were delayed by 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 PCG said two other tankers - the MT Jason Bradley and MV Mirola 1 - sank and ran aground respectively in the same area in July.

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 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.