A Philippine fuel tanker partially sank in the country’s waters on Tuesday, authorities said, as they tried to contain a diesel spill stretching several kilometers.
The Princess Empress was carrying 800,000 liters (211,340 gallons) of industrial fuel oil from Bataan province, near the capital Manila, to the central province of Iloilo when its engine overheated, the Philippine Coast Guard said.
An initial investigation showed the “distressed” vessel drifted towards waters off Balingawan Point on Mindoro island “due to rough sea conditions until it became half-submerged.”
The coast guard said it was monitoring a spill of diesel fuel, which had been powering the vessel, but had not found in the sea any industrial fuel oil from the ship’s cargo.
Another vessel rescued the 20 crew members on board. The coast guard said they were in “good physical condition.”
In a separate update, the coast guard said the spill detected near the stricken vessel was six kilometers long and four kilometers wide.
An oil spill boom would be installed to control the spillage, it said.
In a statement, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said it is “monitoring the site in relation to the potential marine biodiversity impacts and the possible risk to lives and livelihoods in the area due to the direction of the current and distance from the shoreline which may be affected.”
The incident also prompted environmental group Greenpeace Philippines to urge the government to eliminate the country’s reliance on fossil fuels.
“If the government is really committed to protecting the environment, as it has claimed since its inauguration, it must end the Philippines’ fossil fuel dependence and start making oil, coal, and gas corporations accountable,” Greenpeace campaigner Jefferson Chua said.
“Fossil fuels destroy biodiversity and human lives. When incidents like oil spills happen, companies are allowed to just move on, while fisherfolk and coastal communities bear the brunt of the consequences,” said Chua.
He said the oil industry “is a ticking time-bomb for the country, which is already bearing the burden of climate impacts year after year.” – with a report from AFP
