Philippines dispatches resources to contain oil spillage from sunken tanker 'Princess Empress'

Philippine coast guard authorities are rushing to find out and secure a tanker which sank in rough seas and is now spilling the industrial fuel oil cargo it was carrying. The tanker MT Princess Empress was carrying 800,000 litres (210,000 gallons) of industrial fuel oil and sank off the northeast coast of Mindoro island, Philippines on 28 February.

The oil product tanker was on its journey from Bataan province, near the capital, Manila, to the central province of Iloilo.

The vessel faced an issue with its engine and sank into the sea. After the tanker sank, a spillage was spotted by the coast guard and was initially thought to be just the malfunctioned engine's diesel fuel.

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However, after conducting a test of the water samples, the authorities confirmed on Thursday that it was in fact some spillageof the industrial oil cargo the tanker was carrying.The industrial oil leakage was spotted off Oriental Mindoro province.

By Wednesday, the coast guard said that a spill had spread in an area of over 24sq km (9 square miles).

However, anything certain could not be said about the extent of the spillage. Philippines Coast Guard spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo, as quoted by media portals, said, “A ship’s structural integrity may be compromised during the sinking, and it may develop a hole through which oil will leak under pressure."

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It is becoming difficult for the divers to reach the tanker as the vessel sank into over 400 metres deep (1,300 feet) seas, he said. Balilo added that the cargo was not sealed and was loaded directly into the tanker. Oriental Mindoro provincial Governor Humerlito Dolor said that a search is underway.

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The coast guards are using oil spill booms to contain the oil spillage. The areas where the oil spillage is spotted include Verde Island Passage, a marine ecosystem that provides food and livelihood to millions of people. Environmental groups are expressing concerns that the oil spill could potentially endanger protected 21 marine protected areas.

(With inputs from agencies)

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