An oil spill from a tanker that sank near Oriental Mindoro province could endanger over 20 marine protected areas, according to the Philippines’ environmental agency. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said at least 21 locally-managed marine protected areas “can be potentially affected” by the spill from oil tanker MT Princess Empress, which had engine trouble Tuesday and had completely sunk by Wednesday. The agency said the spill could have reached a maximum radius of 40 kilometers, at a point starting five nautical miles east of Balingawan Point in Naujan town in Oriental Mindoro.

Atienza, K. A. T. (2023, March 3). Mindoro oil spill hits marine protected areas. BusinessWorld, p. S1/10.