Manila, July 25 || The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and other volunteers have rushed to contain a large oil spill from a sunken tanker carrying 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel in Manila Bay on Thursday.
The MT Terra Nova, the tanker flying under the flag of the Philippines, capsized and eventually sank 3.6 nautical miles east of Limay, a town in Bataan province, shortly after midnight.
The vessel was sailing south to Iloilo province in the central Philippines when the accident happened. Sixteen of the 17 crew members were rescued while one died, according to the PCG.
As the tanker began leaking fuel oil in Manila Bay, authorities have scrambled to contain the spill, reported news agency.
Three 44-meter multirole response vessels have been deployed to apply oil dispersants to mitigate the spill, the PCG told media. The agency also sets an operational target of seven days to finish siphoning the oil from the sunken tanker to stop further spread.
An international marine protection organization named Oceana expressed alarm over the oil spill on Thursday, urging the Philippine government to control the spread of the oil slick.
The PCG said it is investigating the cause of the accident.