A freighter carrying 800,000 liters of industrial oil sank off Romblon, in the center of the Philippine archipelago, and it is not yet known whether toxic products have been spilled at sea, authorities reported on Tuesday.
Batangas port manager – in the south of the northern island of Luzon and the closest commercial port to the accident – Joselito Sino Cruz confirmed to local DZBB radio that “all crew members are safe “, although he did not say whether there was a spill in the freighter MT Princess Empress, which sank the day before.
“They were carrying 800,000 liters of industrial oil, that’s the amount,” Cruz said.
The crew members were rescued by a foreign-flagged vessel and will be taken to the port of Subic, some 150 kilometers north of Manila.
The cargo ship, flying the Philippine flag and built in 2022, was caught out by strong waves hitting the coast of Romblon as it headed for the port of Iloilo from Bataan, in the north of the archipelago, according to Cruz.