Over 806,000 liters of oil siphoned from tanker

CONTAINING THE DAMAGE A tugboat hired by Shogun Ships Co., owner of the MT Terranova joins the Philippine Coast Guard in its efforts to contain the spread of the oil leak from the sunken tanker in the waters of Limay, Bataan. —INQUIRER file photo / RICHARD A. REYES

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Thursday that 806,254 liters of oil had been siphoned from MT Terranova, which was carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil when it sank off Limay town in Bataan on July 25.

The PCG, in a statement, said the contracted salvor, Harbor Star, collected the oily waste from the tanker from Aug. 19 to Aug. 28. Coast Guard personnel took some oil samples for analysis, it added.

READ: Senate probe on MT Terranova oil spill set Aug. 13

The Harbor Star, according to the PCG, reported that “the rate of oily waste flow” during the Aug. 28 operation was 26,614 liters per hour. The contracted salvor’s divers also inspected the sunken tanker’s pumps and hoses for any signs of leakage but found none during an underwater survey.

A Coast Guard ship, the BRP Sindangan, monitored the siphoning operation and used a water cannon to agitate the minimal oil sheen detected at the site of the sinking.

The PCG, however, did not give a timeline on when the siphoning would be finished.

Crisis averted

MT Terranova, owned by Shogun Ships Co. Inc., capsized on July 25 in rough waters about seven kilometers east of Limay town in Bataan province, leaving one of the 17 crew members dead.

The PCG earlier warned that should the 1.4 million liters of fuel carried by the tanker leak out, it would be the worst oil spill in the country’s history.

Aside from Terranova, another vessel, MV Mirola 1, ran aground off Mariveles, Bataan, on July 31, while MTKR Jason Bradley, which had a cargo of 5.5 tons of diesel, capsized off the coast of Bataan on July 23 due to bad weather.

The Mirola 1 is currently moored at the Diving Industry Shipyard at Barangay Alas-asin in Mariveles town, while the Jason Bradley has been undergoing continued resealing and patching of its manhole and air vents. The PCG and NBI have formed a joint investigation team to probe the oil smuggling allegations against the owners of the three sunken ships.

Terranova’s ship manager, Portavaga Ship Management, earlier denied the allegation that the tanker could be involved in oil smuggling or the “paihi” system, in which the fuel oil is illegally transferred to smaller vessels to avoid being taxed by the government.