Philippines 'racing against time' after oil tanker capsizes

Philippines' authorities on Friday were racing to contain an oil spill from a tanker that sank in Manila Bay on Thursday. 

The ship, transporting some 1.4 million liters (370,000 gallons) of industrial oil, faced stormy seas as Typhoon Gaemi passed by the Philippines on the day before.

The tanker's crew was hoping to steer the vessel to port, but the ship capsized and sank.

The Philippines coast guard rescued 16 out of 17 crew members despite bad weather. But a sailor was confirmed dead as of Friday morning.

Now, authorities are making sure the spill doesn't threaten the capital Manila.

Cargo tank with fuel appears to be holding

The source of the oil sheen in the sea appeared to be coming from the ship's engine and not its cargo tanks which were carrying a large volume of industrial fuel.

The main oil reservoirs on the sunken vessel are believed to be holding. This gives officials a chance to siphon off the oil before it can leak out over a vast stretch and threaten Manila and the surrounding coastline.

"No oil has been leaking from the tank itself, so we're racing against time to syphon the oil so we can avoid the environmental catastrophe," coast guard spokesperson Rear Adm. Armando Balilo told reporters.

The shipping company has already hired a different private company to retrieve the oil, according to Balilo.

Typhoon Gaemi leaves destruction in its wake

On Friday, the Philippine coast guard met with the "contracted salvor" company and the ship's owners to discuss the timeline, with Balilo saying the operation could be completed within seven days.

Balilo also said there was "nothing to be worried about for now." The coast guard was putting up floating barriers and sending out ships that would deploy oil dispersant  in case a large spill did occur.

The coast guard divers were still waiting for the weather to improve before launching an underwater inspection of the sunken vessel, which is at a depth of 34 meters (112 feet). 

While Typhoon Gaemi did not impact the Philippines directly, it exacerbated seasonal monsoon rains and prompted flooding in Manila, with 32 people losing their lives.

It eventually hit mainland China, bringing torrential rains and strong winds to the country's Fujian province. Nearly 300,000 people were evacuated out of its path.

Despite weakening into a tropical storm, Gaemi is expected to reach further inland to China's Jiangxi, Hubei, and Henan provinces.

dj/rm (AP, AFP, Reuters)