MT Princess Empress lacked permit before sinking off Oriental Mindoro

The oil tanker MT Princess Empress, which sank off Oriental Mindoro with 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil, lacked a permit to operate.

MARINA confirmed the shipowner RDC Reield Marine Services had an incomplete application and was not issued a Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC) amendment for the vessel.

The tanker sailed nine times prior to sinking without proper authorization from MARINA.

Marine experts estimate that up to 20,000 hectares of coral reefs, 9,900 hectares of mangroves, and 6,000 hectares of seagrass could be affected by the spill.