On Friday, Philippine environment and disaster authorities hurried to stop an oil spill from a sinking gasoline tanker that reached coastal villages on a big central island, warning of marine ecological damage.
MV Princess Empress, a tanker transporting 800,000 liters (211,338 gallons) of industrial fuel oil to Iloilo province, sank on Friday.
Overheating and drifting in severe seas caused engine problems on Tuesday, according to the coast guard.
The environment ministry’s undersecretary, Carlos Primo David, said the ship may still carry oil and must be found promptly.
He added in a media briefing that recovering it would help minimize the spill.
“Remember that more oil in coastal regions makes cleaning harder.”
Environment Minister Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga said coastal and marine ecosystems that might be affected were being assessed quickly.
The government stated 591 coral reefs, 1,626 mangroves, and 362 seagrass areas were at risk.
Loyzaga warned Thursday that pollution might destroy these systems.
The disaster service said the oil spill reached numerous Oriental Mindoro coastal communities.
Earth Island Institute PH called it “a probable environmental tragedy” and linked it to a 2006 ship that ran aground in the central Philippines with 2.1 million gallons of bunker fuel.
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