Philippine authorities said they believe they have found the location of the leaking product tanker Princess Empress that sank off Naujan in Oriental Mindoro last week.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said it “may have detected the possible site where the vessel is actually located”, adding that the site was about 400 m below the surface.
The site is located northeast of Pola, Oriental Mindoro, and the vessel is believed to have moved southeast from its last known position where it submerged, the department said.
The DENR said it would deploy a remotely operated vehicle to determine where the vessel is and to model the way in which oil is leaking, should the currents and weather permit.
The Philippine-flagged Princess Empress went down on February 28 with 800,000 litres of industrial oil after it experienced engine problems and began to drift due to rough seas.
The crew of 20 were safely rescued, but the oil spill it caused is said to have affected over 30 locally managed marine protected areas and could threaten some 36,000 hectares of coral reefs, mangroves, and sea grass. The incident has also jeopardised the livelihoods of thousands of fishermen who have been forced to stay ashore due to dangerous seas, as well as the incomes of communities that rely on tourism.
