- The Philippines is in danger of a historic oil spill
One week after the tanker incident off the coast of the Philippines, the pumping of approximately 1.4 million liters of oil from the wreck is delayed. The oil suction, which was supposed to start on Thursday, has to be postponed by two weeks, the Philippine Coast Guard announced.
The delay is necessary to manufacture metal caps that will better seal the valves of the "Terra Nova" oil tanks, the Coast Guard quoted the salvage company. Originally, the valves were closed with canvas bags after the shipwreck. While this reduced oil leakage, it could not stop it. The metal caps are now supposed to ensure stability during suction and in heavy weather.
Not the first oil spill on the Philippine coast
The "Terra Nova" capsized on July 25 during Typhoon "Gaemi" near the city of Limay, about 40 kilometers west of the capital Manila, in the so-called Manila Bay. Oil slicks were observed in several coastal communities in the provinces of Cavite and Bulacan.
Local officials reported that residents in some communities could smell heating oil from the shore. Fishermen complained that their catch also smelled of heating oil. The 44-meter-long ship lies in a shallow depth of only 34 meters, which should facilitate the pumping of the oil. One crew member drowned, 16 were rescued.
Last year, a ship carrying 800,000 liters of industrial oil sank off the coast of Oriental Mindoro province. The oil slick covered an area of around 10,000 square kilometers, affecting one of the most biodiverse marine areas in the world.
The delayed oil pumping operation affects the Philippines, specifically the areas around Manila Bay, where the "Terra Nova" tanker capsized. Rescue efforts for the oil spill last year also took place off the coast of Oriental Mindoro province in the Philippines.
