A Philippine cargo vessel and a foreign-registered dredger collided off the coast of South Harbor anchorage early morning on Thursday, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
The PCG, in a statement, said the incident between MV Palawan Pearly and BKM 104, a Cyprus-registered utility ship, happened at about 2:10 a.m. The cargo ship sustained heavy damage although none of the crew of the two ships were injured.
The MV Palawan is currently still half-submerged. It has more or less 3,000 liters of diesel oil in its storage tank in addition to its extra load of a drum of diesel oil, 60 liters of engine oil and five liters of bilge oil.
The PCG reported no oil leaks yet but according to PCG information officer Joy Dianne Gumatay oil sheens were visible on the waters, a tell-tale sign of leaks.
The presence of oil sheens has prompted the PCG Marine Environmental Protection Command to lay four segments of oil spill booms around the cargo ship in anticipation of a possible oil spill.
The BK 104, the PCG learned, was contracted to conduct dredging operations and other land development activities in the area in preparation for the construction of the New Manila Airport.
Investigation is still being conducted by the PCG to determine the cause of the collision.
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