Philippines to file charges against sunken oil tanker owners

File picture of the Japan Disaster Relief team helping the Philippine Coast Guard contain the oil spill from the sunken fuel tanker, MT Princess Empress, off the waters of Oriental Mindoro in this photo taken on March 16, 2023. — PCG

MANILA: The Philippine government said Wednesday (Feb 14) it will file criminal charges against the owners of an oil tanker that sank off a central island nearly a year ago, causing severe marine pollution.

More than half of the vessel's 800,000-litre (211,000-gallon) oil cargo spilled into the sea over hundreds of kilometres off Mindoro island, famed for having some of the world's most diverse marine life.