The coast guard met representatives of MT Terra Nova’s owner and a contracted salvage company on July 26 to discuss the timeline.
Rear-Adm Balilo said: “There’s nothing to be worried about for now, but we should not be complacent.”
The incident happened as heavy rain fuelled by Typhoon Gaemi and the seasonal monsoon lashed Manila and the surrounding regions in recent days.
After setting out late on July 24, the captain decided to abort the journey to Iloilo owing to rough seas.
Rear-Adm Balilo said investigators were seeking to verify testimony from the crew that the vessel was damaged as it tried to turn back and had to be towed by another ship.
Somehow, the tow line was cut, and MT Terra Nova “lost control” in the large waves and went down, he added.
“We will see if there were protocols violated or if there was a lapse in decision-making,” Rear-Adm Balilo said.
Sixteen of the 17 crew members were rescued.
Campaign group Greenpeace said the owners of MT Terra Nova should “foot the bill” for any environmental damage and compensate affected communities.
One of the worst oil spills in the Philippines happened in February 2023, when a tanker carrying 800,000 litres of industrial fuel oil sank off the central island of Mindoro.
Diesel fuel and thick oil from that vessel contaminated the waters and beaches along the coast of Oriental Mindoro province, devastating the fishing and tourism industries.
The oil dispersed over hundreds of kilometres of waters, famed for having some of the most diverse marine life in the world.
A tanker sank off the central island of Guimaras in 2006, spilling tens of thousands of litres of oil that destroyed a marine reserve, ruined local fishing grounds and covered stretches of coastline in black sludge. AFP
Source link : https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/philippines-to-deploy-floating-barriers-to-contain-massive-oil-spill
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Publish date : 2024-07-25 23:00:00
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