Philippines oil spill: Tanker carrying 1.4 million litres of oil capsizes
Summary
TLDRA tanker with 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel capsized off Manila Bay, Philippines, due to rough seas, resulting in the death of one crew member. The Philippine Coast Guard is struggling to contain the oil spill, which threatens fishing communities and could reach Manila. Greenpeace Philippines warns of the severe and long-lasting environmental and livelihood impacts of such spills, highlighting the challenges of cleanup and the compounded effects on coastal communities already facing the climate crisis.
Takeaways
- 🚢 A tanker carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel has capsized off Manila Bay in the Philippines due to strong currents and rough sea conditions.
- 🔍 16 crew members were rescued, and one was initially reported missing but later found dead, resulting in a total of 17 crew members accounted for with one fatality.
- 🌊 The Philippine Coast Guard has launched a search and rescue mission following the tanker's Mayday call and has spotted an oil slick two nautical miles from the capsized site.
- 🚨 There is a significant concern that the oil spill may reach Manila, affecting fishing communities and the capital city, similar to a previous incident in Mindoro.
- 🛠️ The Philippine Coast Guard faces challenges in containing the spill due to the ongoing rough sea conditions, which may have been influenced by Typhoon Gamy.
- 🗓️ Last year's oil spill in Mindoro took 3 months to clean up, and fishermen are still awaiting compensation for damages to their livelihoods.
- 🌐 The impact of the oil spill could be grave, especially for coastal communities that rely on fishing for their livelihoods.
- 🌊 The oil spill's effects on marine life and the environment are long-lasting and may not fully recover even after visible signs of the spill are cleared.
- 🌡️ Climate change and environmental issues, such as warming seas and dying coral reefs, are already affecting fish populations and coastal communities, exacerbating the impact of the oil spill.
- 💡 The response to the oil spill involves not just the cleanup but also addressing the long-term effects on communities that depend on a healthy marine environment.
- 📢 Greenpeace Philippines Country Director, Leah Guerrero, emphasizes the severity of the situation and the importance of a comprehensive response to the oil spill.
Q & A
What was the capacity of the oil tanker that capsized off Manila Bay?
-The oil tanker was carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel.
How many crew members were on board the tanker, and what was the outcome of the rescue operation?
-There were 17 crew members on board. 16 were rescued, and one was initially missing but later found dead.
What was the location of the oil spill in relation to Manila?
-The oil spill occurred off the coast of Bataan, which is about a 5-hour drive from Manila, but technically just off Manila Bay.
What was the immediate action taken by the Philippine Coast Guard after the incident?
-The Philippine Coast Guard quickly launched a search and rescue mission after receiving a Mayday call from the crew.
What is the potential impact of the oil spill on Manila and nearby fishing communities?
-If not contained, the oil spill could reach Manila, affecting fishing communities and the environment, posing a major concern for the capital city.
What challenges does the Philippine Coast Guard face in containing the oil spill, especially considering the weather conditions?
-The Philippine Coast Guard faces difficulties due to rough sea conditions, possibly influenced by typhoon Gamy, making it hard to dispatch assets for containment.
What was the situation with a similar oil spill that occurred south of Manila last year?
-A tanker with 800,000 liters of industrial fuel capsized in Mindoro, and it took 3 months to clean up the oil spill, with fishermen still awaiting compensation.
According to Leah Guerrero, what are the long-term effects of an oil spill on marine life and coastal communities?
-Oil spills can leave permanent damage to the marine environment and affect communities that depend on it, with some areas never fully recovering.
How does the current oil spill compare with the climate crisis affecting the Philippines, particularly for fisherfolk?
-The oil spill adds to the difficulties faced by fisherfolk, who are already struggling with dwindling fish numbers and dying coral reefs due to the climate crisis.
What are the visible and invisible effects of an oil spill that need to be addressed?
-Visible effects include the oil slick and its immediate impact on the shoreline, while invisible effects involve long-term damage to marine life and ecosystems below the water.
What is the role of Greenpeace Philippines in addressing the oil spill and its aftermath?
-Greenpeace Philippines, represented by Leah Guerrero, provides insights on the environmental impact and advocates for the affected communities, particularly fisherfolk.
Outlines
🚢 Oil Spill Disaster in Manila Bay
A tanker carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel has capsized off Manila Bay in the Philippines due to strong currents, leading to a rapidly spreading oil spill. Out of 17 crew members, 16 were rescued, but one is still missing. The Philippine Coast Guard has launched a search and rescue mission and has now recovered the body of the missing crew member. There is a significant concern that the oil spill may reach Manila, affecting fishing communities and the capital city. The Coast Guard has spotted an oil slick two nautical miles from the capsized tanker. Last year, a similar incident in Mindoro took three months to clean up, highlighting the potential severity of the situation if containment is not achieved promptly. The current weather conditions, possibly influenced by Typhoon Gamy, are complicating containment efforts, with rough seas impeding immediate response actions.
🌊 Impact and Challenges of Containing the Oil Spill
The oil spill's impact could be severe, particularly for coastal communities in the Philippines that rely heavily on fishing for their livelihood. The Bataan Province, where the ship capsized, is home to many fishermen and tourism industries that depend on marine resources. The challenges in clearing up the oil spill are significant, with long-lasting repercussions from previous spills still being felt. Oil spills can cause permanent damage to the marine environment, affecting not only the visible signs of the spill but also the underwater ecosystem, including marine life affected by chemicals. The current climate crisis exacerbates these issues, with fishermen already struggling due to dwindling fish populations and the warming of seas. The compounding effects on communities reliant on a healthy marine environment are profound, making the containment and cleanup of the oil spill a critical and urgent task.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Tanker
💡Capsized
💡Manila Bay
💡Oil Spill
💡Crew Members
💡Rough Sea Conditions
💡Search and Rescue Mission
💡Oil Slick
💡Containment
💡Fishing Communities
💡Typhoon Gamy
💡Greenpeace
💡Climate Crisis
Highlights
A tanker carrying 1.4 million liters of oil has capsized off Manila Bay in the Philippines.
Strong currents are causing the oil spill to spread quickly.
16 crew members have been rescued, with one still missing at the time of the report.
The tanker sank off the coast of Bataan due to rough sea conditions.
The Philippine Coast Guard launched a search and rescue mission after receiving a Mayday call.
The body of the missing crew member was found, resulting in one death.
An oil slick has been spotted two nautical miles from the capsized tanker.
There is a concern that the oil spill may reach Manila, affecting fishing communities and the capital.
A major oil spill occurred last year in Mindoro, taking 3 months to clean up.
The current weather conditions, possibly influenced by Typhoon Gamy, are complicating containment efforts.
The Philippine Coast Guard faces challenges in dispatching assets due to rough sea conditions.
Fishermen affected by the previous oil spill in Mindoro have not yet been fully compensated.
Greenpeace Philippines Country Director Leah Guerrero discusses the potential impact of the oil spill on coastal communities.
The oil slick stretches several kilometers, posing a serious threat to marine life and livelihoods.
The long-term damage of oil spills to the marine environment is highlighted, with lasting effects on fishing communities.
The compounding effects of oil spills and climate change on coastal communities are emphasized.
Transcripts
a tanker carrying 1.4 million lers of
oil has capsized off Manila Bay in the
Philippines strong currents are causing
the spill to spread quickly 16 of the
crew members on board the tank have been
rescued one is still missing let's get
more on this with barnab low he joins us
live from Manila in the Philippines so
barnab what exactly are you hearing
about this oil
spill right so a tanker carrying 1.4
million lers of industrial fuel sank off
the coast of Bataan early hours of
Thursday now Bataan is uh just in the
northern Philippines just five a 5H hour
drive from Manila and according to the
surviving crew members 16 of them 16 out
of 17 they encountered rough sea
conditions and that is why the tanker
capsized now this information
just in from the Philippine Coast Guard
they've quickly launched a search and
rescue mission after they received
Mayday from the crew and now this just
in they they have found the body of the
missing crew member so all crew members
now counted for unfortunately that last
crew member the 17th crew member has
died but there is another major concern
now this location is technically just
off Manila Bay as you mentioned so so
it's not too far from Manila and the
Philippine Coast Guard has already
spotted an oil slick that's about two
nautical miles from where the tanker
capsized and if they're not able to
contain this oil spill it's possible
that the oil spill will reach Manila and
there are fishing communities here and
of course this is the Philippine Capital
so it is a very major concern just last
year there was a major oil spill uh
south of Manila in the province of
mindoro where a tanker with 800,000 L of
industrial fuel capsized and it took 3
months to clean up that oil spill so
this is really going to be a major
problem if that oil spill is not
contained and reaches Manila yeah to
tell us a little bit about the
challenges in containing a spill like
this especially given uh the weather
situation
that's right so you know the tanker uh
that capsized on Thursday morning it
actually happened uh right
when was battering Taiwan and was
exiting the Philippine area of
responsibility and so it's possible that
bad weather conditions bad sea
conditions were being affected by
typhoon gamy but the Philippine Coast
Guard isn't ready to make that
conclusion yet and in any case
um it's very difficult right now for the
Philippine Coast Guard and other uh
government agencies to dispatch their
assets to be able to contain the oils
spill because the sea conditions are
still very rough and that's according uh
to the Philippine Transportation
secretary uh earlier this morning when
uh there was a command conference with
Philippine president uh Ferdinand
bongbong Marcus Jr and so this is a very
challenging mission for the Philippine
Coast Guard as I said um it took 3
months for the Philippine Coast Guard to
clean up that oil spill in mindoro and
in fact even until now um uh more than a
year after that happened fishermen who
are affected uh they say that they have
not been paid um the government promised
that they will be paid for damages
because they lost their livelihoods uh
but they're still asking for that
payment from the government so it's not
just the cleanup but it's also
compensating those who will be affected
by the oil spill okay thank you for that
barnab low with that update from Manila
let's get more on this with Leah
Guerrero she is the uh Greenpeace
Philippines country director she joins
us now from Manila Leah so according to
one areal survey so far this oil slick
stretches several kilometers what sort
of an impact can an oil spill of this
size cause if it's not cleared up as
soon as possible
thanks for that question and thanks for
having me here um in your news show um
yeah uh the impact uh will be very grave
it will be very serious uh particularly
since um Coastal communities in the
Philippines are very Reliant um on
fishing for livelihood um so in the
report earlier uh by the reporter barabo
he did say that the Fisher folk um have
been the worst affected um in the oil
spill from last year um and this will be
a similar case um if uh the oil spill is
not contained on time and if it is even
if just a bit of it um reaches the
shores a lot of the people um who are
living in Bataan Province uh where the
ship capsized um are reliant um on
Marine Resources on the sea on tourism
many of them are Fisher folk um and they
will definitely um experience uh impacts
uh from this bill and and how how
difficult what are the challenges
involved in uh clearing up a a uh an oil
spill like this I mean we're you're
talking about the impacts from an oil
spill from months ago and uh the
repercussions are still being felt right
now M
um I think it's fair to say that um oil
spills uh really live uh leave um
permanent damage um to the marine
environment um and to communities that
depend on a healthy marine environment
so even if for example uh an oil spill
has been declared clear um there are uh
portions of the sea um which never
really recover a lot of the of cleaning
um and the clearing that we see are are
really the visible uh effects uh the
visible signs of the spill um but a lot
of it um is happening under the water um
where um these chemicals are affecting
marine life um and so forth um and if
you look at that uh the impact of an oil
spill against um the current uh uh
changes um the climate crisis that's
happening in the Philippines for example
uh um Fisher folk having a hard time um
uh with fish catch uh because of uh the
dwindling numbers of fish uh because of
warming of the Seas the dying of uh
coral reefs um the it all of these
together um is really making life
difficult uh for Coastal communities um
so that um if uh we say you know how
long will the impact last um until when
uh will it be cleaned um and so forth um
it's not really just the cleaning or the
the the yeah the cleaning of the oil
spill that we're talking about it's
really um the compounding effects um on
communities uh that are reliant um on a
healthy marine environment okay thank
you Le thank you for talking to us on
aler Leah Guerrero from Green Peace
there in
Manila make sure to subscribe to our
channel to get the latest news from aler
Voir Plus de Vidéos Connexes
Philippines oil spill sparks fears of environmental catastrophe | DW News
How a capsized tanker has caused a devastating oil spill in the Philippines | DW News
Tatlong sasakyang pandagat, dahilan ng malawakang oil spill sa Manila Bay | Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho
Philippines looks to tackle severe water pollution
Lumulubog na ba ang Maynila? | Need To Know
Typhoon Gaemi triggers landslides, floods in Philippines | World News | WION
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)