How a capsized tanker has caused a devastating oil spill in the Philippines | DW News
Summary
TLDRTyphoon CI has caused a devastating oil spill in Manila Bay after a tanker carrying 1.5 million liters of fuel sank. The Philippine Coast Guard is working to contain the spill with floating barriers. The storm has also left a trail of destruction across Taiwan and the Philippines, causing severe flooding and multiple deaths. Experts discuss the environmental impact and the challenges of cleaning up the sticky bunker fuel oil, while Greenpeace calls for oil companies to be held accountable for the disaster.
Takeaways
- 🌀 Typhoon CI has caused significant damage across Taiwan and the Philippines, leading to strong winds and heavy rains.
- 🚢 A Philippine tanker carrying 1.5 million liters of fuel sank in Manila Bay due to huge waves, resulting in an extensive oil spill.
- 🛑 The Philippine Coast Guard has initiated emergency measures to contain the oil spill using floating barriers to prevent further leakage.
- 🔍 All but one crew member were rescued in a high-risk nighttime operation, highlighting the urgency and danger of the situation.
- 🌊 The oil spill poses a potential environmental disaster near Manila, with the slick stretching for several kilometers.
- 📉 Five freighters were stranded off Taiwan, with one sinking and ongoing search efforts for its crew.
- 🏠 Torrential rains have caused severe flooding in the Philippines, with residents in the southern city of Kung scrambling to save their belongings.
- 🌊 The typhoon is also impacting mainland China's Eastern Fujian province, with the National Marine forecaster issuing its first Red Alert of the year.
- 📚 Professor Michelle Boufadel from the New Jersey Institute of Technology discusses the challenges of managing the oil spill, especially given the thick and sticky nature of bunker fuel oil.
- 🌱 Greenpeace's Manfred Zanton emphasizes the potential long-term environmental impact, including effects on birds, people, and the fishing industry, and calls for oil companies to be held accountable.
Q & A
What is the main issue discussed in the script?
-The main issue discussed is an oil spill caused by a sunken tanker in Manila Bay following Typhoon CI, which is threatening the environment and the capital city of the Philippines.
What was the tanker carrying when it sank?
-The tanker was carrying nearly 1.5 million liters of fuel when it sank after encountering huge waves in Manila Bay.
What measures are being taken to contain the oil spill?
-The Philippine Coast Guard has launched an operation using floating barriers to contain the spill and prevent further leakage, aiming to avert a major environmental disaster.
How many crew members were rescued from the sunken tanker?
-All but one of the crew members were rescued in a risky nighttime operation.
What is the nature of the oil that was being carried by the tanker?
-The tanker was carrying a thick oil known as bunker fuel oil, which is sticky and can adhere to surfaces.
What are the potential environmental impacts of the oil spill in Manila Bay?
-The oil spill could impact the local environment, including underwater ecosystems, birds, and the livelihoods of fishermen. It might also mix with sediments and sink to the bottom, posing risks to water intakes for energy plants.
How does the storm's severity affect the oil spill's dispersion?
-The storm's churning waters could dilute the oil in the bay, but it might also mix with sediments and sink, posing long-term risks that could be reactivated by future storms.
What is the significance of the oil spill for the local community and environment?
-The oil spill poses a significant threat to the local community, affecting fishermen's businesses and potentially leading to long-term environmental damage, including the destruction of ecosystems and harm to wildlife.
What is the role of oil companies in such disasters according to Greenpeace?
-Greenpeace calls for oil companies to be held responsible and accountable for the consequences of oil spills, including helping with cleanup efforts and compensating for losses and damages.
What is the scale of this oil spill in the context of Philippine history?
-According to Greenpeace, this could be one of the biggest oil spills in the Philippines in many years.
What is the current status of the typhoon after the events in the Philippines?
-After causing destruction in the Philippines, Typhoon CI has moved on to mainland China, where it is battering the eastern Fujian province with strong winds and heavy rain.
Outlines
🌪️ Typhoon CI's Aftermath: Oil Spill Threatens Manila Bay
In the aftermath of Typhoon CI, authorities are urgently working to manage an oil spill near Manila, Philippines. The storm has moved into mainland China, bringing with it strong winds and heavy rains. A Philippine tanker, carrying 1.5 million liters of fuel, sank in Manila Bay after facing massive waves, resulting in an oil slick that spans several kilometers. The Philippine Coast Guard has initiated containment measures with floating barriers to prevent further leakage and a potential environmental catastrophe. Despite challenging conditions, all but one crew member were rescued in a risky nighttime operation. Meanwhile, Taiwan reports five freighters stranded and one sunk, with ongoing search efforts for the missing crew. Typhoon CI has caused significant destruction and fatalities in the Philippines and Taiwan, with severe flooding in the southern city of Kung. The storm is now impacting China's Eastern Fujian province. Michelle Boufadel, a professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, discusses the response to the oil spill, emphasizing the protection of vulnerable areas such as power plant intakes and wetlands. The oil in question is described as thick bunker fuel oil, which, while less likely to spread like lighter oils, poses a significant risk due to its stickiness and potential to contaminate large areas.
🚢 The Fragility of Tankers and Environmental Impact of Oil Spills
The discussion continues with insights from Manfred Zanton of Greenpeace, who highlights the potential severity of the oil spill in Manila Bay, possibly one of the largest in recent Philippine history. With nearly 1.5 million liters of oil at risk, the environmental implications are grave, particularly if the oil spreads to the rich underwater ecosystems south of Manila Bay. The impact on wildlife, local communities, and the fishing industry is a significant concern. Zanton emphasizes the need for oil companies to be held accountable for such disasters, advocating for government intervention to ensure they contribute to cleanup efforts and compensate for damages. The conversation underscores the vulnerability of tankers during severe storms and the critical need for oil companies to take responsibility for environmental disasters they may cause.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Typhoon CI
💡Oil spill
💡Manila Bay
💡Philippine Coast Guard
💡Bunker fuel oil
💡Environmental disaster
💡Contingency plan
💡Storm surge
💡Search and rescue
💡Greenpeace
Highlights
Typhoon CI has caused an oil spill threatening Manila, Philippines.
The storm has moved into mainland China bringing strong winds and heavy rains.
A Philippine tanker carrying 1.5 million liters of fuel sank in Manila Bay after encountering huge waves.
The Philippine Coast Guard launched an operation to contain the oil spill with floating barriers.
All but one crew member were rescued in a risky nighttime operation.
Five freighters were stranded off Taiwan, and one more had sunk with ongoing search efforts for the missing crew.
Typhoon CI has caused destruction and several deaths across the Philippines and Taiwan.
Torrential rains have caused severe flooding in southern Taiwan.
The typhoon is the strongest tropical storm to hit Taiwan in 8 years.
Preparations for the deluge were underway in Fuzhou, China, with the National Marine forecaster issuing its first Red Alert of the year.
Professor Michelle Boufadel discusses the contingency plan to protect vulnerable areas like power plant intakes and wetlands.
The oil involved is a thick bunker fuel oil that sticks to everything and is difficult to clean up.
The stormy conditions may help break up the fuel spill but could also mix it with sediments, causing it to sink.
The tanker's sinking in Manila Bay raises questions about the structural integrity of such vessels during storms.
Manfred Zanton from Greenpeace suggests the oil spill could be one of the biggest in the Philippines in many years.
The environmental impact of the spill depends on currents and weather, with potential effects on underwater ecosystems.
Climate activists call for oil companies to be held responsible for disasters like this and to pay for the damages.
Transcripts
in the wake of typhoon CI Philippine
authorities are racing to contain an oil
spill that is threatening the capitol
Manila the storm has now roared into
mainland China where people are bracing
for strong winds and heavy rains now Cy
has left a trail of Devastation across
Taiwan and the
Philippines a Philippine tanker carrying
nearly 1 and a half million liters of
fuel sank after encountering huge waves
in Manila Bay the accident caused an oil
slick stretching for several kilometers
the Philippine Coast Guard launched an
operation to contain the bill with
floating barriers to stop any more fuel
leaking and prevent a major
environmental disaster close to the
capital officials said they rescued all
but one of the crew members in a risky
nighttime
operation meanwhile Taiwan said five
Freighters were stranded off the island
and one more had sunk search efforts
were ongoing for its missing crew
typhoon CI has left a trail of
Destruction and several deaths across
the Philippines and Taiwan torrential
rains have caused severe
flooding residents in the southern city
of kung scrambled to salvage their
belongings as floodwater inundated their
homes it's the strongest tropical storm
to hit Taiwan in 8
years now the typhoon is battering
Mainland China's Eastern fujian province
with strong winds and torrential rain
preparations for the Deluge were already
well underway in
fuan the National Marine forecaster
issued its first Red Alert of the
year it's the latest storm in a summer
of unrelenting weather Extremes in
China I'm joined Now by Michelle
boufadel he's a professor at the New
Jersey Institute of Technology and he
has done a lot of research on major oil
spills particularly in the United States
Professor it's good to have you with us
what kind of operation is underway right
now in the Philippines in Manila
Bay well uh I mean in I mean I'm I'm not
at at that location but I would looking
at it it seems like they have a very
nice contingency plan to deal with this
but I would imagine that the first thing
to do is that you know they they want to
protect the vulnerable areas and that
usually is the intake for example for
power plants and secondary level would
be for example Wetlands so these are the
most sensitive areas the one
economically and then ecologically
that's that's that in that it goes in
that order now because of the conditions
I don't think there's much that they can
do they cannot you know go there with
boats and then mechanically kind of skim
the oil and bring it together uh it it's
going to be dangerous for The Operators
so I think they would just wait and
until the storm subsides MH U now what
we know about that oil is that it's a
pretty thick oil it is what they call
Bunker flu uh bunker fuel oil MH and uh
essentially it might not spread similar
to other light oils but uh but the
problem with it is that it can stick to
everything it's very sticky when you
know the thicker the oil the more it
sticks and professor and then
ask you about that you know you're
saying it it will it will stick to
everything I understand that the tanker
is carrying about one and a mill one and
a half million liters of fuel we don't
know if that all of that has leaked but
if the waters are still stormy I mean if
you've got um really bad conditions
right now does that actually end up
helping the environment in the long run
will it break up the the fuel spill or
the the carpet of fuel will it break it
up more quickly is that an
Advantage it is it is in some way it is
an advantage but you know this is
happening in a bay you know in a bay so
it's not an Open Sea if it is an Open
Sea you say yes it is diluting it in a
bay it might just get the oil to be out
of your control and then it might go to
places where you don't want it to go but
uh usually you have this when there's
the churning and there's the the
violence of the water it uh it mixes the
o oil the problem there is that maybe
yes it dilutes it in the bay but it
could also mix with sediments and then
it will sink to the bottom and nothing
happens until there's another major
storm and then it gets suspended and
then released to the Shor lines or you
know as as I mentioned for example the
water intake for water for uh energy
plants these oil tankers I mean these
are gigantic vessels and when we see
them we almost think of as being
something that's really hard to sink um
but doesn't this show us though that the
whole of these tankers is a lot more
fragile than maybe the Layman thinks
particularly when you're dealing with
terrible
storms yeah I mean in in this particular
case it is it is really surprising
especially it is in in Manila Bay it's
not in totally open sea so I think uh
the the the structure integrity is
something that people would look after
and see why would something like that
happens Professor Michelle Buel from the
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Professor we appreciate your time and
your analysis tonight thank
you I want to bring in now Manfred
zanton he is with Greenpeace Mr zanton
it's good to have you with us what are
your colleagues in the Philippines what
are they telling you about this oil
spill yes hello good evening uh yeah
what our colleagues say is that uh this
oil spill could be one of the biggest uh
that uh we know in the Philippines since
many many years it's almost 1.5 million
liters of oil in the tanker we don't
know how much has been released already
to the water but um as mentioned uh in
the report o slicks are visible already
you say oil slicks are visible already I
understand this spill is taking place in
Manila Bay so it's not out on the open
Waters of the ocean talk to me about the
implications of that in terms of
environmental
destruction it depends on on currents
and uh and weather of course where where
the oil will go to so if it stays in
Manila Bay then uh the effect will be on
the environment in that Waters but south
of Manila Bay for example you have one
of the most beautiful underwater uh
ecosystems you can imagine so but we
don't know if the oil will uh impact
that as well uh what we can say of
course is that birds will be affected
that people will be affected that
fishermen business will be affected so
it's it's near to a big
catastroph I know that climate activists
complain that oil companies often do not
take responsibility for disasters like
this what can be done in your opinion to
make sure that these oil companies that
they pay the
bill yeah that's that's a very good
question so what what can be done so our
colleagues and but also not only green
peas Al also many communities call on
the government in the Philippines to uh
to hold the biggest oil and gas
companies responsible and accountable
for the consequences of such oil spills
so they have to help to clean up uh this
uh pollution but they also have to pay
for the losses and damages this is one
of the of the most important demands uh
that that we have right now yeah well we
will certainly stay on the story and see
if they do foot the bill here mon zanton
with green piece Mr zanton we appreciate
your time tonight thank you
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