Crew member of a tanker perishes after it sank off Bataan
A crew member of a Philippine-flagged motor tanker Terra Nova drowned while four others were hospitalized after the vessel capsized and sank off the waters of Bataan early Thursday.
Philippine Coast Guard personnel onboard BRP Melchora Aquino located the body of the missing crew of MT Terra Nova in the vicinity waters off Limay, Bataan around 3pm.
In a virtual press conference, Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said based on the initial report MT Terra Nova was on its way to Iloilo from Bataan when its captain decided to return due to rough seas.
"The water got into their ship until it capsized," he said.
Balilo said the vessel sank at the vicinity of waters within 3.6 nautical miles east of Lamao Point, Limay, Bataan around 1:10 am.
He said the PCG is looking "if there was an existing weather disturbance in the vicinity waters when the maritime incident occurred" as there was no storm warning signal raised in the area during the incident.
PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan has ordered the conduct of an investigation regarding the maritime incident.
Balilo said 10 other passengers were still onboard BRP Melchora Aquino.
"Ten were onboard the (MRRV) 9702, two are in our station Limay, four in hospital for minor injury treatment, those who are in the ships also have minor injuries but we have personnel that give them first aid onboard," he said.
Balilo said the deployed aerial asset of the PCG "monitors an oil spill 5.6 nautical miles east of Lamao Point with an estimated coverage (length) of two nautical miles carried by strong current heading east to northeast."
"Marine environmental protection personnel have also been mobilized to combat the oil spill," he said.
Balilo said that so far only the working fuel of the distressed vessel has spilled but he noted that the tanker was carrying 1.4 metric tons or 1.4 million liters loads of industrial fuel oil (IFO).
"If the fuel leaks the marine environment will be affected, it will also pose a hazard to navigation but we have issued a notice to mariners for them to avoid the area," he said.
"We prepare for the worst... it will definitely affect the marine environment, the oil can reach here in Manila and we are really preparing for that, we need big mobilization we will involved all the private sectors if needed because the amount of oil carried by the ship is too big,"
He noted that the oil from the MT Princess Empress that sank in Oriental Mindoro early this year is just half of the oil of MT Terra Nova.
Balilo also mentioned that the PCG can tap its foreign partners to help in oil spill response if needed.
"We have a memorandum of agreement with Indonesia and Japan. Of course, if there is needed expertise we can also tap the US and our coast guard partners but this will come after the assessment and coordination that will be done by the PCG and the other stakeholders," he said.
However, he noted that "the vessel sank 34 meters deep which is considerably shallow."
Siphoning will not be very technical and can be done quickly to protect the vicinity waters of Bataan and Manila Bay against environmental, social, economic, financial, and political impacts,” Balilo said.
Gavan directed the deployment of three 44-meter multi-role response vessels to augment the ongoing oil spill response operations in Bataan.
“These vessels will start the application of oil dispersants to immediately mitigate impact, especially during the period where siphoning is being prepared,” Gavan said.
“The PCG sets an operational target of seven days to finish siphoning the oil from the sunken tanker to stop further spread,” he added. Robina Asido/DMS
