Manila, 27 July 2024 (dpa/MIA) – The Philippine coastguard reported on Saturday that a portion of the 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel oil from a tanker that sank during severe waves has begun leaking into Manila Bay.

While the leakage remains minimal, authorities have advised fishermen to avoid the area as the fish may be contaminated.

Divers inspected the hull of the ill-fated MT Terra Nova on Saturday morning and found “minimal leaks” in the valves, said Rear Admiral Armand Balilo from the coastguard.

“The situation is not yet alarming because only a small volume is flowing out and the tank is intact,” he said.

Balilo said that the visible oil spill extended from an initial 3 kilometres to about 12 to 14 kilometres.

This is “still manageable, but we are not going to be complacent,” he added.

“Let’s not fish there for now. You might get sick. We are trying to do our best so that the livelihood of our fishermen will not get affected,” he said.

The Terra Nova sank on Thursday in Manila Bay about 40 kilometres west of Manila, while Typhoon Gaemi battered the country with heavy rains. One crew member drowned and 16 were rescued.

Balilo said the tanker’s owner hired a salvage company to start siphoning off the oil on Sunday to prevent a major spill and environmental crisis.

The operation, expected to take seven days, involves transferring the oil to a sister ship and refloating the Terra Nova for towing.

Last year, the Philippines faced one of the worst oil spills in the country when a tanker with 800,000 litres of industrial oil sank off Oriental Mindoro Province.

The spill affected almost 1 million hectares of municipal waters, including around one of the most diverse marine habitats in the world.

MIA file photo