The incident occurred a day after Typhoon Gaemi hit the Philippines and Taiwan, causing mass devastation in both countries. The Philippine Coast Guard Rear Admiral said it was a “race against time” to contain the oil spill, which now covers two nautical miles and is moving from east to northeast due to strong currents.
The oil spill has affected nearby fishing villages and covered local beaches with black mud. Residents of the villages, as well as those involved in the clean-up process, have become ill from waste from the spill.
Another incident occurred off the coast of Singapore on Friday, in which two oil tankers collided and caught fire. The Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile and the Chinese-owned Principe-flagged Ceres I crashed 34 miles off the coast of Singapore. After the incident, the Ceres I apparently fled the scene, disabling its tracking system.
The tanker was later located in Malaysian waters, amid rumors that it was carrying Iranian oil. Data from Kpler and London Stock Exchange Group indicated that the Ceres I had been carrying ship-to-ship oil transfers in Malaysia throughout April. Iran has since denied that any of the damaged tankers were carrying Iranian oil.
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