The Philippine Coast Guard has opened a marine casualty investigation after a cargo vessel sank and spilled oil off Surigao del Sur province on Tuesday, November 10.
All 17 crewmembers of the Ro-Ro vessel LCT 8, including the captain, were unharmed and in good physical condition, the coast guard said on Thursday, November 12.
The vessel's captain telephoned the coast guard at around 05:22 on Tuesday to report that the landing craft had submerged and was leaking oil just off Surigao del Sur’s Carrascal municipality.
The incident occurred as the area was experiencing strong winds and rough waves.
The coast guard’s initial inspection found approximately 800 litres of spilled oil, with contamination along an estimated 200 metres of shoreline.
Responders deployed absorbent pads and spill containment booms. They recovered 460 litres of oily water mixture during the initial response.
On Wednesday, November 11, they recovered an additional 170 litres of oily waste and 390 kg of oil-contaminated debris.
The coast guard it is continuing to monitor the affected coastal waters to determine what other response measures may be needed while the marine casualty investigation is ongoing.
LCT 8 reportedly operated domestic services between Cebu City and Carrascal Bay. Carrascal's port serves an inland nickel mining complex.