PCG: Ongoing Terranova recovery yields 1.2M liters oily waste

Manila, Philippines – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has reported on their progress in ongoing recovery operations in Bataan to manage the oil spill caused by the sunken tanker MTKR Terranova. As of 8 PM on 1 September, 2024, over 1.2 million liters of oily waste have been collected since cleanup started on 19 August, 2024.

The contracted salvor, Harbor Star, reported that a total of 1,254,889.58 liters of oily waste had been collected from the waters off Lamao Point, Limay, Bataan. The daily breakdown of collected waste shows a significant increase in recovery efforts, with 222,332 liters collected on 1 September alone. Additional pumps were deployed by the salvor, who also reported that the rate of oily waste flow was 22,315 liters per hour.

Additionally, the Oil Spill Response Team (OSRT) monitored the transfer of oily waste at the Orion Dockyard and confirmed that no leaks were observed during the operation.

A total of 698,000 liters of collected oil waste will be properly disposed of at a waste management facility in Marilao, Bulacan.

Meanwhile, at the site of the spill, the PCG's BRP Malamawi (FPB-2403) utilized a portable fire pump to disperse oil sheen, while divers conducted underwater operations to monitor siphoning.

MTKR Bradley repair going well

The PCG also reported that another vessel, MTKR Jason Bradley, is undergoing repairs. The contracted salvor, FES Challenger, continued to carry out re-sealing and patching operations on the vessel's manhole and air vents to prevent further leakage. The OSRT patrolled the nearby coastline and observed no signs of oil sheen.

The Terranova incident

The MTKR Terranova, a Philippine-flagged industrial fuel tanker, caused a significant oil spill after capsizing off the east coast of Lamao Point in Limay, Bataan. The tanker leaked some of the 1.5 million liters of oil it was carrying into the sea.

The incident triggered an extensive cleanup operation, with reports of additional spills from two other vessels that sank nearby in the days following the Terranova disaster.