Philippine oil tanker sinks in Manila Bay, raising fears of a possible major spill near the capital

Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine oil tanker has sunk in Manila Bay after encountering huge waves. The coast guard is working to determine whether the vessel is leaking oil — in what could be a major spill — after it rescued 16 of 17 crew members in a nighttime operation. The tanker Terra Nova left Bataan province en route to the central province of Iloilo with about 370,000 gallons of industrial fuel oil stored in watertight tanks when it got buffeted by huge waves and took on water. The crew struggled to steer the tanker back to port but it eventually sank shortly after midnight. That’s according to a coast guard spokesperson Thursday.