The tanker, Princess Empress, was travelling from Bataan province,near Manila capital city, to the central province of Iloilo on February 28 whenit faced engine trouble and sank in rough seas.
The Philippine Coast Guard initially reported that aspillage spotted in the sea was diesel fuel from the stricken vessel’s enginesand not the ship’s cargo of industrial oil.
But the Coast Guard said on March 2 that tests of watersamples showed that some of the industrial oil had leaked into the sea off Naujancity.
The spill had spread over 24 sq.km by March 1, the Coast Guardsaid previously. It is not known how much diesel fuel and how much of theindustrial fuel oil cargo is in the water./.