The Philippine government successfully completed the recovery of fuel cargo from the sunken oil tanker MT Terranova in Manila Bay, preventing what could have been the country’s largest oil spill and a significant environmental disaster. The tanker, which sank on July 25 due to Typhoon Gaemi, was carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil.
The Philippine Coast Guard announced that 96% of the oil waste had been recovered, with only minimal leakage occurring. Lieutenant Commander John Encina, who supervised the operation, confirmed that the remaining mixture being extracted was predominantly water.
The recovery operation, which began on August 19 and concluded on September 10, involved the retrieval of approximately 1.38 million liters of oily waste. This waste was transported to a treatment facility near Manila. Despite the minimal oil leakage, local authorities had to establish “no-catch” zones, affecting thousands of fishermen in the bay.
The government is now planning to refloat the MT Terranova to continue the investigation into its sinking, although details of the inquiry have not been disclosed.
This incident brings to mind one of the worst oil spills in Philippine history, which occurred in February 2023 when a tanker sank off the coast of Mindoro, spilling 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil. That spill severely affected the fishing and tourism industries and contaminated waters known for their diverse marine life.
