PCG removes over 1.3M liters of oily waste from sunken tanker

CONTAINMENT WORK CONTINUES Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels on Aug. 2 continue to secure the second layer spill boom and apply oil dispersant in the area where fuel tanker MT Terranova sank on July 25 in the waters off Limay, Bataan. The tanker was carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel and caused a spill that has spread to various coastal areas along Manila Bay, including Cavite. — File photo from PCG FACEBOOK

MANILA, Philippines — Nearly 1.3 million liters of oily waste have been siphoned from motor tanker (MT) Terranova from August 19 to September 7, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

The boat is one of the three sunken ships in Manila Bay.

PCG on Sunday said MT Terranova’s contracted salvor, Harbor Star, reported that it has gathered over 1.2 million liters of oily waste during the this period.

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Citing Harbor Star, the agency said the rate of oily waste flow during its latest operation was 8,690 liters per hour.

It added that a total of over 52,000 liters of oily waste was collected on Saturday (September 7).

Moreover, PCG personnel also conducted an aerial surveillance, while BRP Sindangan (MRRV-4407) of the Coast Guard performed operations to remove the oil sheen at ground zero.

On July 25, MT Terranova sank off Bataan, killing a crew member, while the oil spill reached the coastline of Manila and nearby provinces.

Aside from MT Terranova, two other ships sank in Manila Bay last month — MV Mirola 1 ran aground on July 31 and capsized, while MT Jason Bradley sank on July 27.