Enteng halts oil extraction from sunken tanker off Bataan

Image taken of the Motor Tanker (MT) Terra Nova that sank east off of Lamao Point, Limay, Bataan on July 25, 2024. | File photo from the Official Facebook page of the Philippine Coast Guard

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Monday ordered the postponement of the oil recovery operation on a sunken motor tanker in Manila Bay due to tropical storm Enteng.

The PCG said the contracted salvor for the Motor Tanker (MT) Terra Nova, which contains 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil (IFO), immediately complied with the order.

“The contracted salvor, Harbor Star, secured all siphoning lines and containment equipment, closed all hot taps, and postponed the transfer of recovered oil waste,” the PCG said in a statement.

The all-out recovery of IFO continued until Sunday when 222,332 liters of oil were recovered.

This brings the total recovered IFO to over one million (1,254,889.58) liters from August 19 to September 1.

Of this total, 698,000 liters were already sent to Orion Shipyard in Bataan for transport to a waste management facility in Marilao, Bulacan, where the oil will be properly disposed of.

On July 25, MT Terranova capsized and eventually submerged off Bataan, killing a crew member.

The spillage spread up to the coasts of Manila and nearby provinces.

Aside from MT Terra Nova, two other ships sank in Manila Bay last month.

MV Mirola 1 ran aground on July 31, which eventually led to its capsizing, while MT Jason Bradley sank on July 27.

The clean-up for both MV Mirola 1 and MT Jason Bradley was also affected by Enteng.

FES Challenger, which is the contracted salvor of MT Jason Bradley, temporarily halted its operation, while the PCG response team securing MV Mirola 1 evacuated at the Diving Industry Shipyard, Barangay Alas-asin, Mariveles, Bataan.

Enteng is bringing strong winds and heavy rains in most parts of Luzon on Monday, reportedly killing at least two people.