Agencies
A Philippine-flagged tanker carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil capsized and sank off Manila on Thursday, authorities said, as they raced to contain a spill.
The MT Terra Nova was heading for the central city of Iloilo when it capsized in Manila Bay, nearly 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) off Limay municipality in Bataan province, near the capital, in the early hours.
The vessel went down as heavy rains fueled by Typhoon Gaemi and the seasonal monsoon have lashed Manila and surrounding regions in recent days.
An oil spill stretching several kilometers has been detected in the busy waterway and the Philippine Coast Guard was preparing to deploy floating barriers to contain the slick.
An investigation into the cause of the incident was underway, but coast guard spokesperson Rear Adm. Armando Balilo said the vessel had not broken rules on heavy weather sailing.
A Public Storm Warning Signal had not been raised when the MT Terra Nova departed Limay and "therefore did not violate rules and regulations,” Balilo said in a statement.
At a briefing earlier Thursday, Balilo said authorities were "racing against time” to contain the spill and stop more fuel leaking.
He warned that if all the oil in the tanker were to leak, it would be the biggest spill in Philippine history.
"There is a big danger that Manila will be affected, even the shoreline of Manila, if the fuel will leak, because it is within Manila Bay,” Balilo said.