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Agence France-Presse

A Philippine-flagged tanker carrying 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel oil capsized and sank off Manila on Thursday, authorities said, as they raced to contain a spill.
One crew member of the MT Terra Nova died when it capsized in Manila Bay, nearly seven kilometres (4.3 miles) off Limay municipality in Bataan province, as it sailed to the central city of Iloilo.
The vessel went down as heavy rains fuelled by Typhoon Gaemi and the seasonal monsoon lashed Manila and surrounding regions in recent days.
An oil spill stretching several kilometres has been detected in the busy waterway and the Philippine coast guard was preparing to deploy floating barriers to contain the slick.

An investigation into the cause of the incident was under way, but coastguard spokesman Rear Admiral Armando Balilo said the vessel had not broken rules on heavy weather sailing.
A Public Storm Warning Signal had not been raised when the MT Terra Nova departed Limay and “therefore did not violate rules and regulations”, Balilo said in a statement.
At a briefing earlier Thursday, Balilo said authorities were “racing against time” to contain the spill and stop more fuel leaking.
He warned that if all the oil in the tanker were to leak, it would be the biggest spill in Philippine history.
“There is a big danger that Manila will be affected, even the shoreline of Manila, if the fuel will leak, because it is within Manila Bay,” Balilo said.
Thousands of fishermen and tour operators are dependent on the waters for their livelihoods.
Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said 16 of the 17 crew members had been rescued from the stricken vessel.
A search was under way for the missing crew member, but Bautista said strong winds and high waves were hampering response efforts.

Four of the crew were receiving medical treatment.
A photo released by the coastguard showed the MT Terra Nova almost entirely submerged in rough seas.
It has since sunk 34 metres below the waves, which Balilo said was “considerably shallow” and meant siphoning the oil out of the tanker “can be done quickly”.
Coastguard Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gavan said they had set a target of seven days to complete the siphoning.
An oil slick stretching about 3.7km was being carried by a “strong current” in an easterly, northeasterly direction, the coastguard said in a report.
Marine environmental protection personnel have been mobilised to help contain the slick.
“It will definitely affect the marine environment,” Balilo said, describing the amount of oil on the ship as “enormous”.
One of the worst oil spills in the Philippines was in February 2023, when a tanker carrying 800,000 litres of industrial fuel oil sank off the central island of Mindoro.
Diesel fuel and thick oil from that vessel contaminated the waters and beaches along the coast of Oriental Mindoro province, devastating the fishing and tourism industries.
The oil dispersed over hundreds of kilometres of waters famed for having some of the most diverse marine life in the world.
Thousands of fishermen were ordered to stay ashore, and swimming was banned.
In 2006, a tanker sank off the central island of Guimaras spilling tens of thousands of gallons of oil that destroyed a marine reserve, ruined local fishing grounds and covered stretches of coastline in black sludge.


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The Philippines

‘Race against time’ as Philippine tanker capsizes in Manila Bay, spilling fuel oil

Part of the MT Terra Nova oil tanker after it sank. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) via AFP

An aerial survey by the Philippine Coast Guard. Photo: Philippine coast guard via AP

The rescued crew of the oil tanker MT Terra Nova. Photo: Philippine coast guard via EPA-EFE

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The Singapore-flagged tanker Hafnia Nile on fire in Tanjung Sedili, near Singapore. Photo: Handout/Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency/AFP

An RSS Supreme rigid-hulled inflatable boat in the vicinity of the burning vessels following a fire on two oil tankers near the Singaporean island of Pedra Branca. Photo: Republic of Singapore Navy/Reuters

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A clean up crew handles a bag of oil coated sand along the Tanjong Beach on Sentosa Island, Singapore, on June 15. Photo: Blooomberg

A worker operates a vacuum system during the clean-up of an oil slick at Tanjong Beach in Sentosa, Singapore on June 18. Photo: Reuters

A view of the oil sheen on the waters, outside Sentosa, Singapore on June. Photo: Reuters

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

The Philippine coastguard said strong winds and high waves were hampering response efforts to the maritime incident


A Philippine-flagged tanker carrying 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel oil capsized and sank off Manila as authorities raced against time to contain the spill.


Environment

Marine safety

‘Race against time’ as Philippine tanker capsizes in Manila Bay, spilling fuel oil

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}The Philippine coastguard said strong winds and high waves were hampering response efforts to the maritime incident

The Philippine coastguard said strong winds and high waves were hampering response efforts to the maritime incident