Philippines plans to siphon off oil cargo from sunken tanker to avert ‘environmental catastrophe’

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — There is no indication that a big cargo of industrial fuel oil stored in a tanker that sank in stormy weather in Manila Bay has started to leak, the Philippine coast guard said Friday, and plans are being firmed up to try to siphon off the highly toxic shipment to prevent a major spill that could reach the bustling capital.

The tanker Terra Nova had left Bataan province en route to the central province of Iloilo with about 1.4 million liters (370,000 gallons) of industrial fuel oil stored in watertight tanks when it got lashed by huge waves and took on water. The crew struggled to steer the tanker back to port but it eventually sank shortly after midnight Thursday. The coast guard rescued 16 crewmembers but one drowned, coast guard spokesperson Rear Adm. Armando Balilo said.

“We’re racing against time to siphon off the oil to avoid an environmental catastrophe,” Balilo told reporters, adding that the plans could be hampered if the weather turns bad.

An oil slick about 3.7 kilometers (2.3 miles) long near the rough seawaters where the tanker sank, about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) off Bataan province’s Limay town, came from the fuel tank that powered the tanker and not from its cargo, which was stored in watertight tanks, Balilo said.

The sunken tanker’s owner has contracted a private company to undertake the oil siphoning, which could take a week, Balilo said. Philippine coast guard officials would get the detailed plan from the company Friday to allow the coast guard to brace for contingencies during the delicate undersea operation, he said.

Three coast guard ships with personnel and equipment for oil spill containment have been deployed to the area where the tanker sank.

There have been days of