Motor tanker MTKR “Jason Bradley”, which sank off the coast of Mariveles, Bataan last July 27 while loaded with 5,500 liters of diesel oil, has partially floated after two days of siphoning operation to remove seawater from the vessel, the Philippine coast Guard (PCG) said.

The PCG monitored on Monday, Aug. 12, the ongoing seawater siphoning to salvage MTKR Jason Bradley in the vicinity waters off Barangay Biaan in Mariveles, according to Lt. Commander Michael John Encina, commander of the Coast Guard Station Bataan.

“[T]he sunken motor tanker is now partially afloat,” Encina confirmed.

He said that the ship owner’s contracted salvor, the FES Challenger Salvour and Builders, will move the vessel to the nearest safe shoreline where the siphoning of the diesel oil onboard will take place to avoid a potential spill.

The siphoning operation for MTKR Jason Bradley began on Aug. 10 (not Aug. 2 as earlier reported by PCG) as the initial schedule was not followed due to the prepositioning of additional equipment and vessels in the area.

Meanwhile, the siphoning operation for another sunken tanker, MTKR Terranova, has yet to begin more than two weeks after it sank due to Super Typhoon Carina.

According to the PCG, a technical evaluation was conducted by the contracted salvor, Harbor Star Shipping Services Inc., where it found out that 12 out of the 24 valves have been secured and are leak-free so it no longer requires the reinforcement of a metal capping.

For the remaining 12 valves, six have been capped while the installation of metal caps on the final six valves is ongoing.

The PCG said that MTKR Terranova, which sank off Limay, Bataan on July 25 while carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil, needed a reinforcement of its pipes and valves with metal caps to ensure that no oil will leak once the siphoning begins.

If things go according to plan, the PCG and the Harbor Star will drain 300,000 liters of oil from MTKR Terranova, or about 50,000 liters per day for six to seven days. 

This is enough to make the tanker float, according to PCG, before it is brought to shallow waters for the siphoning of the remaining oil onboard.

As for cargo vessel MV Mirola 1, which ran aground off Mariveles as reported to the PCG on July 23, the diving assessment of the vessel’s hull was conducted last Aug. 10.