Coastguard races against time after freighter sinks in Manila Bay

Coastal freighter Palawan Pearl, which had 3,000 litres of diesel on board, was involved in a collision with a utility vessel on 8 July in Manila Bay, Philipines. The Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) is now in a race against time as it has observed “the spread of ‘oil sheen'” around the half-submerged freighter.

To control the oil spread, PCG Marine Environmental Protection Command will lay four segments of oil spill boom around the ship.

The collision occured in the South Harbor anchorage area around 2:10am – no injuries have been reported.

According to Rexchel Fabrigas, a crew member of the Palawan Pearl, approximately 3,000 litres of diesel oil were in the freighter’s storage tank before the incident occurred along with a drum of diesel oil, 60 litres of engine oil, and 60 litres of bilge oil on board.