Siphoning for MTKR Jason Bradley oil leakage begins

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Saturday said that siphoning operations for the leaked oil of MTKR Bradley is underway in Mariveles, Bataan.

MTKR Jason Bradley is one of the three tankers that sank in the vicinity waters of Bataan.

Meanwhile, a technical evaluation by the PCG showed that 12 out of 24 valves of the MTKR Terranova were secured and leak-free. It added that more of the valves were capped on Friday and that 6 others are now being worked on. 

Assessment is also ongoing for the third vessel, MV Mirola.

The oil spill has already affected multiple provinces, prompting the declaration of a state of calamity in nine different coastal local government units in Cavite and a secondary state of calamity in Bataan following an issuance after the effects of tropical cyclone Carina.

The PCG and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have created a team to probe the three ships involved in the Bataan oil spill for possible smuggling.

The owner of MT Terranova already denied allegations that the tanker was involved in oil smuggling. —VAL, GMA Integrated News