Philippines rushes to contain oil spill threatening several protected marine areas

Authorities using oil spill booms for containment, but risk to environment remains high

The Philippines’s coast guard is struggling to contain an oil spill after the sinking of a tanker in the Oriental Mindoro region in a threat to protected marine areas.

The tanker MT Princess Empress was carrying 800,000 litres of industrialised fuel oil when it sank off the northeast coast of Mindoro Island on 28 February.

The Philippine Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the incident. The probe will determine if there are people accountable for the sinking of the oil tanker.