PH Coast Guard: Oil spill from sunken tanker in Manila Bay lessened

TRAGEDY AFTER THE STORM. MT Terra Nova sank on July 25, two days before another fuel tanker sank also in the waters of Bataan province. —PHOTO FROM PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD

MANILA, Philippines — The oil spill from a sunken motor tanker in Manila Bay has lessened, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

Earlier, the PCG said the oil from MT Terra Nova spread about 12 to 14 kilometers across Manila Bay.

READ: PH Coast Guard seals 14 leaking valves of sunken tanker in Manila Bay

But based on the agency’s aerial monitoring on Monday morning, the oil spill’s extent lessened to about 2 to 4 nautical miles (nm) or 3.7 to 7.4 kilometers, “going southeast,” Coast Guard Station Bataan Lt. Commander Michael John Encina said.

When asked about its scale, Encina said it is “minimal” and “very controllable,” translating to 1 liter leak per hour or 24 liters daily.

Based on previous reports, the MT Terra Nova was carrying 1.4 million liters of fuel when it “capsized and eventually submerged” in waters off Bataan province.

The PCG said the siphoning process of the remaining fuel inside the ship will start on Tuesday, July 30.