Philippines Tanker accident: Pumping out the oil off Manila has begun

Three weeks after the tanker accident off the coast of the Philippines, the pumping out of the approximately 1.4 million liters of oil in the wreck has begun. The pumping out had previously been repeatedly delayed in order to better seal the oil tanks of the "MT Terra Nova" before work could begin. The island nation's coast guard announced that valves had now been successfully opened to suck out the oil. It was not yet clear how long it will take to empty the wreck.

The ship capsized on 25 July during typhoon "Gaemi" off the city of Limay, around 40 kilometers west of the capital Manila, in the so-called Manila Bay. Oil slicks were subsequently observed in several coastal communities in the provinces of Cavite and Bulacan.

Extent of the damage unclear

The tanker had a total of eight tanks, each containing 175,000 liters of industrial fuel oil. No leaks were initially observed when the pumping operations began, the coast guard reported. Additional equipment is expected to arrive to facilitate the next phase of the work. The 44-metre-long ship lies at a shallow depth of just 34 meters, which according to the authorities makes it easier to pump out the oil.

Exactly how much oil has leaked into the sea since the "Terra Nova" capsized is unclear. However, environmentalists say that the oil in Manila Bay has already affected the livelihoods of fishermen in some coastal communities. The marine conservation organization Oceana put the amount of damage so far at almost one billion pesos (16 million euros). "The long-term economic impact could be devastating if there is no immediate response," it said.

Last year, a ship with 800,000 liters of industrial oil on board sank off the coast of the province of Oriental Mindoro. The oil slick spread over an area of around 10,000 square kilometers, affecting one of the most biodiverse marine areas in the world.