Just days after a vessel carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial oil sank, another vessel went down Saturday afternoon off the coast of Mariveles, Bataan.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported responding to a maritime incident involving the sinking of the MTKR Jason Bradley in the waters near Barangay Cabcaben, Mariveles.

At 5 p.m. on July 27, three 44-meter Coast Guard vessels were dispatched to the area and confirmed the presence of the sunken ship. As of press time, it was unknown if there were any casualties.

Early Sunday, Coast Guard divers conducted an initial underwater assessment. It remained unclear where the vessel originated from or its intended destination at the time of the incident.

“Diving operations are ongoing to determine the status of the sunken vessel,” the PCG said in a statement.

According to Coast Guard Station Bataan Commander Lt. Cmdr. Michael John Encina, the sunken vessel had no cargo on board, but it is still unknown how many people were on board.

The shipping company that owns the MTKR Jason Bradley is preparing the necessary equipment for salvage operations, expected to be completed within one to two weeks.

Oil leak

Over the weekend, industrial fuel oil started leaking into Manila Bay from a capsized tanker, the MT Terra Nova, which was carrying 1.4 million liters (369,840 gallons) of industrial fuel when it capsized off the coast of Manila last week.

The oil slick has more than tripled in size, stretching 12 to 14 kilometers (7.5 to 8.7 miles) across the bay, the PCG said on Saturday.

The vessel sank in severe weather on Thursday as typhoon “Carina” passed over the country, resulting in the death of one crew member and raising fears of the country’s worst oil spill disaster. Sixteen crew members were rescued.

Divers inspected the hull of the vessel on Saturday and observed a “minimal leak” from the valves, according to PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armando Balilo. He noted that the leak was “not alarming yet.”

The ship designated to carry the recovered oil is en route to the area, he added.

The coast guard has warned that if the entire cargo were to leak, it would result in an “environmental catastrophe.”