Over 300,000 liters of oil still in sunken MT Princess Empress —PCG

More than 300,000 liters of oil were still left in the sunken motor tanker Princess Empress, which has caused an oil pill in Oriental Mindoro, Unang Balita reported on Wednesday, quoting the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

According to the report, the PCG has collected more than 10,000 liters of oily water mixture from the area where the tanker sank.

Tons of oil-covered debris were also collected during its offshore response operations.

MT Princess Empress sank in Naujan town waters on February 28 while carrying 900,000 liters of industrial fuel.

On Tuesday, the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) said satellite images showed that the oil spill already reached Isla Verde.

PhilSA added that the extent of the oil spill is now almost the same size as Quezon City.

From March 3 to March 8, the area of the oil spill was only 1 to 13 square kilometers.

However, based on the captured satellite image on March 23, the area affected by the oil spill has reached 112 square kilometers.

As of Wednesday, 172,928 people or 36,658 families in Mimaropa and Western Visayas were affected by the oil spill, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.

A total of 203 people fell ill due to the oil spill, it added.

A state of calamity was declared in 10 affected cities and municipalities, the NDRRMC also said. —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA Integrated News