MANILA, Philippines – The oil siphoning operations for MT Terranova will be delayed by two weeks as salvor Harbor Star seeks to reinforce the sealing of the tanker’s valves first, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) told reporters on Thursday, August 1.

The material initially used to seal the valves was just canvas. This gets full and worn out due to exposure to oil and has to be replaced eventually. The salvor intends to replace the canvas seals with metal caps before siphoning the oil.

The fabrication of 19 metal caps will take a week and the installation of the caps will require another week.

The Coast Guard initially said that operations can be done quickly as MT Terranova sank in shallow waters. (READ: PCG braces for the worst despite 7-day target to finish oil siphoning)

“We are expecting much less leaks when we install the caps,” Coast Guard Station Bataan Lieutenant Commander Michael John Encina said in a mix of Filipino and English.

According to the PCG, less than a liter of oil is leaking from the ship per hour, from the initial rate of 7.5 liters per minute.

Encina explained that the metal caps can withstand unfavorable weather conditions and would be more stable during the siphoning operations.

He emphasized that the prolonged timeline gives the salvor “more time” to think about precautionary measures.

“If we rush this operation, the whole Metro Manila, perhaps part of Region 4A (Calabarzon) and Region 3 (Central Luzon) will be affected,” he said. “This will have a massive effect in Manila Bay if we rush this.”

The leaking valves must be closed first before the siphoning of the tanker can start. Around 300,000 liters of industrial fuel oil will have to be siphoned before MT Terranova can be floated and brought closer to shore.

The tanker, chartered by San Miguel Shipping subsidiary SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corporation, sank on July 25 off Limay, Bataan, carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil. – Rappler.com