PCG: MT Terranova oil leak 'minimal' as 14 of 24 valves sealed

The leaks from sunken motor tanker Terranova in Bataan are now minimal after 14 of its 24 tank valves have been sealed, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Monday.

PCG Bataan Station commander Lieutenant Commander Michael John Encina said MT Terranova has eight compartments with three valves each.

“Na-seal na po natin 'yung 14 as we speak. Meron pa pong 10 pero minimal na lang 'yung leak niya (We have sealed the 14 as we speak. There are still 10 but the leak is minimal),” Encina told Dobol B TV in an interview.

According to him, the siphoning operations for the sunken motor tanker may start this Monday or Tuesday.

Only 300,000 of the 1.4 million liters of industrial oil loaded in MT Terranova need to be drained for the ship to float, Encina said. The motor tanker will be moved to a shallower area.

The siphoning operations would take five to seven days to complete, according to Encina.

Encina said the PCG is set to launch a campaign to alert local government units around the Manila Bay area to take immediate action in case the oil spill reaches their areas.

In a virtual press conference, Encina said that the coverage and the volume of the oil spill are decreasing.

From 12 to 14 kilometers, the coverage of the oil spill is now only two to four miles. From two gallons per minute, the volume of oil leaks is reduced to 1 liter per hour after.

On July 25, one crew member died and 16 others were rescued after MT Terranova capsized and sank 3.6 nautical miles east off Lamao Point in Limay town, the PCG said.

Aside from MT Terranova, another sunken ship, the MTKR Jason Bradley, carrying “diesel cargo” of an unknown quantity was found to have leaks in Bataan.

Encina said the MTKR Jason Bradley only has 5,500 liters of diesel, which he said, can easily dissipate because it is not heavy oil.

Nevertheless, Encina said the diesel from MTKR Jason Bradley will be siphoned as well.

On Sunday, the PCG confirmed that they discovered the leaks on MTKR Jason Bradley after it sank in the waters off  Barangay Cabcaben, Mariveles, Bataan on Saturday afternoon.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday held an aerial inspection of the oil spill from MT Terranova and ordered the creation of an inter-agency task force. —KG/RSJ, GMA Integrated News