Manila, Philippines — A Philippine-flagged tanker carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil capsized and sank off the coast of Manila on Thursday, authorities reported, sparking an oil spill that stretches over several kilometers.
The MT Terra Nova was en route to Iloilo City in the central Philippines when it went down in Manila Bay, approximately seven kilometers (4.3 miles) off the coast of Limay in Bataan province, near the nation’s capital, in the early hours of the morning.
Response efforts are being hampered by strong winds and high waves, Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said during a briefing.
“We were able to rescue 16 out of 17 crew members; one remains missing,” Bautista stated. Four of the rescued crew members are receiving medical treatment.
The Philippine Coast Guard has launched a search and rescue operation for the missing crew member. According to a report from the coast guard, the MT Terra Nova “capsized and eventually submerged.”
Authorities are investigating whether a weather disturbance in the area contributed to the maritime disaster. The coast guard noted that a slick of oil approximately 3.7 kilometers long is being driven in an easterly, north-easterly direction by strong currents.
Marine environmental protection teams have been dispatched to contain the spill. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gavan has ordered a thorough investigation into the cause of the incident.
The sinking of the MT Terra Nova comes on the heels of heavy rains fueled by Typhoon Gaemi and the seasonal monsoon, which have battered Manila and surrounding regions in recent days.
This incident brings back memories of a similar catastrophe in February 2023, when a fuel tanker carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil sank near the central island of Mindoro. That disaster led to massive environmental damage, contaminating waters and beaches along the coast of Oriental Mindoro province and wreaking havoc on the fishing and tourism industries.
The oil from the Mindoro incident spread across hundreds of kilometers of waters renowned for their rich marine biodiversity, forcing thousands of fishermen to stay ashore and banning swimming in the affected areas.
Authorities are now racing against time to prevent a repeat of such widespread ecological damage and are working tirelessly to contain the spill from the MT Terra Nova as quickly as possible.
