An attempt to salvage a tug that was deliberately run aground off the Philippines' Zambales province earlier this month ended in failure as the vessel sank in rough seas on Monday, August 24.
The Philippine Coast Guard said that SL Sual 1 was being towed away from the area where she had previously run aground off Botolan municipality when she began gradually listing to starboard at around 07:46 local time on Monday.
The 10 workers who were on the tug jumped overboard and were successfully rescued. The tug continued slipping beneath the waves and eventually settled to a depth of 24 metres.
The coast guard has since continued monitoring the surrounding waters for possible oil spills as the tug was carrying 15,000 litres of diesel at the time of the mishap. Containment booms have also been placed around the sunken vessel.
The workers who were on the tug during the salvage attempt reportedly heard a loud banging sound just prior to the incident. The cause and the origin of the sound remain unknown.
SL Sual 1 was at anchor off Botolan when her crew discovered that her engine room had become flooded with seawater due to a hull breach on August 14.
The crew then decided to ground the tug to prevent further damage to the vessel and thus reduce the risk of sinking.
Despite rough sea conditions in the area at the time, all nine of the tug's crew were later safely evacuated from the stranded vessel by personnel from the coast guard and disaster response teams as well as some local fishermen.
