Philippines races to prevent oil spill from sunken tanker
Authorities in the Philippines are exerting efforts to find and secure a sunken tanker loaded with 800,000 litres of industrial fuel oil that has started to leak into waters.
The Philippine Coast Guard collects seawater samples from an oil spill off Naujan on March 2. (Photo: AFP)
Hanoi (VNA) - Authorities in the Philippines are exertingefforts to find and secure a sunken tanker loaded with 800,000 litres ofindustrial fuel oil that has started to leak into waters.
The tanker, Princess Empress, was travelling from Bataan province,near Manila capital city, to the central province of Iloilo on February 28 whenit faced engine trouble and sank in rough seas.
The Philippine Coast Guard initially reported that aspillage spotted in the sea was diesel fuel from the stricken vessel’s enginesand not the ship’s cargo of industrial oil.
But the Coast Guard said on March 2 that tests of watersamples showed that some of the industrial oil had leaked into the sea off Naujancity.
The spill had spread over 24 sq.km by March 1, the Coast Guardsaid previously. It is not known how much diesel fuel and how much of theindustrial fuel oil cargo is in the water./.
A Philippine fuel tanker partially sank in the country's waters on February 28, authorities said, as they tried to contain a diesel spill stretching several kilometres.
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The Philippine Coast Guard collects seawater samples from an oil spill off Naujan on March 2. (Photo: AFP) 
