ROV operations conclude on MT Princess Empress oil leak

Underwater operations utilizing remote operated vehicles (ROVs) to address the oil leak from the sunken MT Princess Empress off Oriental Mindoro have been concluded, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

The ROVs identified 24 sources of leakage from the sunken vessel and temporarily capped all but one using specialized bags.

One remaining pressure valve producing a slow intermittent release of oil was not capped due to obstructions that may compromise the ROV operations.

The fingerprinting results of the collected oil samples from the vicinity of the submerged vessel matched samples from Pola town in Oriental Mindoro and the loading station in SL Harbor Bulk Terminal in Limay, Bataan.

The PCG expressed gratitude to vessels from Japan and the United States, the Japan Coast Guard, US Navy Supervisor of Salvage, and other stakeholders for their support during the ROV operations.

The PCG will continue to partner with agencies in offshore and shoreline cleanup and assessment until the source of the spill is permanently addressed.