Satellite images show ‘possible oil’ off Mindoro at 11.62 square kilometers

"Possible oil" that appears to be from the sunken tanker MT Princess Empress currently covers an area approximately 11.62 square kilometers in size in the waters off Mindoro Island, satellite imagery and data showed.

The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) on Monday posted analyses and maps issued by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), based on imagery taken by Canada's RCM1 satellite and the European Union's Sentinel 1A satellite.

According to PhilSA, the RCM1 imagery, taken by on March 19, showed the oil segmented and extending a total of 13 nautical miles toward the southwest of the vessel point source. 

The tanker, which sank on February 28 carrying 900,000 liters of industrial fuel, is believed to be sitting about 7.5 nautical miles from Balingawan Point, 400 meters below sea level.

The RCM1 imagery shows the "possible oil" as being one nautical mile at its widest point, closer to the shore of Mindoro near Lake Naujan.

Imagery taken by the Sentinel 1A satellite on March 18, meanwhile, showed the oil separated into three different areas south and southwest of the sunken tanker location.

"The slicks are approximately 16.02 nautical miles in total length and about 0.35 nautical miles at the widest; it covers a total of approximately 9.87 square kilometers," the PhilSA said.

The agency said the maps were still subject to field validation. — NB/BM, GMA News