Oil tanker carrying 1.4 million litres capsizes in Philippines; one missing

An oil tanker, MT Terra Nova, carrying 1.4 million litres (1,494 metric tonnes) of industrial fuel capsized on Thursday near the Philippines' coast. Transportation secretary Jaime Bautista confirmed that the incident had resulted in an oil spill.
"There is already oil spill. Right now, we cannot dispatch our resources because of strong winds and high waves," said Bautista during briefing.
16 out of the 17 crew members on board have been successfully rescued, while one remains missing.

A search operation is currently underway to locate the missing crew member.
Coast Guard spokesperson Armando Balilo mentioned in a separate statement that an investigation has been initiated to determine if the maritime accident was related to Typhoon Gaemi.

"There was no weather disturbance in the vicinity waters when the maritime incident occurred," said the coast guard.
Balilo further said that the rescued crew members reported encountering rough seas before the ship capsized.
The Philippine coast guard, in an effort to search for the missing crew and combat the oil spill, has deployed a 97-metre vessel. Smaller vessels are currently on standby, waiting for the weather conditions to improve before setting sail.

The coast guard also conducted an aerial survey, which revealed an oil slick extending approximately two nautical miles, being pushed by strong waves.
"We are racing against time. We will do our best to contain the fuel," said Balilo.
He further said that the location where the ship sank is in close proximity to Manila, and there is a significant risk of the spill reaching the capital city.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed the environment ministry to assess the extent of the damage caused by the oil spill. The country's environment ministry has confirmed that its chief is currently en route to Limay town to oversee the situation firsthand.