MANILA, Philippines — At least 47,000 liters of oil has now been siphoned off the sunken MTKR Terranova as reported by the contracted salvor Harbor Star, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Wednesday.
Authorities have yet to confirm whether the siphoned oil came from the tanker’s operational fuel or the 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil it was carrying before it sank.
In a situation report, the PCG said that over 47,000 liters of oil were collected with a flow rate of 9,000 liters per hour, during the oil removal testing.
The BRP Sindangan (MRRV-4407) carried out sea surface surveillance and monitoring operations, while joint authorities conducted oil sampling at the incident site, it said.
The PCG said that the 44-meter Coast Guard vessel deployed dispersants and used a water cannon to reduce the oil sheen at the site.
Authorities also conducted drone aerial surveillance to assess the surrounding waters, it said.
The MTKR Terranova sank off the coast of Lamao Point in Limay, Bataan last month while on its way to Iloilo. A crew member died following the capsizing of the tanker
The PCG also reported that the MTKR Jason Bradley, the second tanker that sank in Bataan waters, showed no signs of oil sheen during sea surface surveillance conducted by the BRP Malamawi (FPB-2403).
Regarding the MV Mirola, the third vessel that ran aground in Bataan, authorities noted that the contracted salvage team, Morning Star, has begun securing areas of the grounded vessel for plugging, in preparation for removing seawater from the hull.
