Oilspill Booms Prepared by Coast Guard in Bataan. © Noel Celis / Greenpeace
Philippine Coast Guards prepare the spill booms to be loaded in a tugboat at the port in Limay, Bataan.
© Noel Celis / Greenpeace

QUEZON CITY, Philippines (27 July 2024) — Satellite images of the site of the sunken MT Terranova in Bataan have confirmed an oil spill might affect Bulacan, Cavite, and Pampanga. Greenpeace climate campaigner Jefferson Chua said:

 “What we have feared is coming true. There is indeed an oil spill from the MT Terranova and it is headed for Bulacan, Cavite, and Pampanga.

“This is a fossil fuel nightmare. Communities that are still reeling from massive floods now have to brace for the impending ecological disaster from an oil spill. 

“President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. must support these communities, hold fossil fuel companies accountable, and make them pay for damages.

“Oil spills are a danger to coastal and marine resources. Their effects on ecosystems, and therefore on the means of livelihood and sustenance of many coastal communities, are real and lasting.

“Last year’s oil spill in Mindoro tells us that the government’s capacity to deal with a crisis at such a scale is already limited, what more if it comes in the wake of a superstorm?

“Both the floods and the oil spill can be traced back to the fossil fuel industry. It is time for swift and determined climate action from our government. Make oil and gas companies pay for polluting our waters and for fueling the climate crisis.”

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Notes to Editors:

  • For clips and community interviews taken in Limay, Bataan near where the tanker sank, you may download our clipreel HERE. You may also download our photos HERE.
  • For photos of the aftermath of Super Typhoon Carina and Habagat, you may download our photos HERE.
  • Kindly credit the photos and videos to their corresponding photographers and Greenpeace.

Media Contact: 

Eunille Santos, Greenpeace Philippines Communications Campaigner
[email protected] | +63 9175411248