A 22-year-old tanker carrying industrial fuel oil capsized and sank 3.6 nautical miles off Lamao Point in the Philippines due to rough seas on Thursday.
The incident which involved the Philippine-flagged TerraNova tanker, carrying 1,494 tonnes of industrial fuel oil, has led to a large oil spill, according to a statement by the Philippine Coast Guard. The tanker capsized around 1:10 am local time while the vessel was on its way to the Iloilo port.
The coast guard rescued 16 of the 17 crew on board while four of the 16 rescued individuals are receiving further medical attention. A search is underway for the last missing crew member.
The Coast Guard Aviation Command is also performing an aerial survey of the oil spill response operations. The oil spill is located around 5.6 nautical miles east of Lamao Point with an estimated length of two nautical miles. One of the possibilities is that the spill could reach the country’s capital Manila which is just 10 km away from the spill.
Marine environmental protection personnel have also been mobilised to combat the oil spill which is being carried by a strong current heading east to northeast. No vessels to combat the oil spill can be currently dispatched due to strong winds and high waves. Only one larger vessel has been dispatched to search for the missing sailor.
The commander of the Philippine Coast Guard, Ronnie Gil Gavan, has ordered an investigation of the incident. The authorities are also investigating if the sinking of the vessel was due to Typhoon Gaemi which has so far flooded parts of Manila and other towns and has taken the lives of at least 14 people.
According to Equasis data, the 1,415 dwt vessel is owned and managed by the Philippine-based company Shogun Ships.
Last year the Phillippines was hit by an oil spill after the product tanker Princess Empress sank with 800,000 litres of industrial fuel onboard.
The Philippine Coast Guard stated in an update that it has deployed three MRRVs to augment the ongoing oil spill response operations. The vessels will start the application of oil dispersants to mitigate the impact, especially during the period when siphoning is being prepared.
An operational target of seven days has been set to finish siphoning the oil from the sunken tanker. The vessel sunk only 34 meters so the siphoning ops will not be very technical and, according to Philippine authorities, can be done quickly to protect the waters of Bataan and Manila Bay.
The coast guard added that it recovered the body of the missing crew member around 3 pm local time.
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