PCG attempts to control oil spill as tugboat sinks off Cebu

Authorities have responded to avert the spread of an oil spill to other areas as a motor tugboat sank off Naga, Cebu, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) bared Monday, Sept. 4.
The PCG said that MTug Sugbo 2 sustained a hull damage on its steering portion inside the engine room while traversing the vicinity waters off Naga Anchorage on Sunday, Sept. 3.
Accordingly, floodwater seeped into the vessel due to a four-inch diameter hold at the starboard quarter.
The crew tried to suck the water out through a submersible pump but the tugboat lost its electricity.
The crew then contacted its sister ship, MTug Sugbo 5, to connect its power source to the submersible pump but the pumping operation was terminated “due to the increase in the volume of water in the steering room.”
“Due to the unfavorable sea conditions, the master instructed all crew on board to abandon the ship for safety before it eventually submerged,” the PCG said.
The tugboat eventually sank due to the water coming into the vessel, the PCG confirmed. An investigation was launched to determine how the vessel sustained the hole.
The PCG team deployed three segments of oil spill boom, two bales of absorbent pads, and four segments of absorbent boom to control the oil spill.
The PCG described the spillage as “minimal” although it assured that all necessary safety procedures were being followed to prevent it from further spreading.
The PCG was also determining how much oil was contained in the tugboat as well as the extent of the spillage.