Philippines oil spill – level 3

Philippines oil spill

13-03-2023 15:00

Volunteers and coastguard personnel tried to clean up a devastating oil spill from the sunken tanker MT Princess Empress that has washed up on the shores of the Philippines’ Mindoro Island and stained most of its beaches.

People collect the oil, wipe the rocks and gather the debris along the shore. After they clean an area, more oil comes back with the tide.

On Monday, authorities said that they have found the tanker and they planned to deploy a remotely-operated autonomous vehicle to pinpoint its exact location. The tanker is thought to be lying at about 366 meters below sea level, off Oriental Mindoro province. It was carrying about 800,000 liters of industrial fuel when it suffered engine trouble on 28 February in rough seas.

Marine scientists said that about 36,000 hectares of coral reefs, mangroves, and sea grass were potentially in danger.

Difficult words: autonomous (a device that can operate without direct human control), pinpoint (to find or say the exact position of something), potentially (possibly).

You can watch the video news lower on this page.

What type of marine life is being affected by the spill, and how?

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