Abandoned Cargo Ship Suspected of Oil Smuggling Grounds in Philippines

Officials in the Philippines are dealing with a mystery as a decrepit old cargo ship was found aground on the shores of Bataan, west of the entrance to Manila Bay. While there is some concern about an oil leak from the grounded ship, the Philippine Coast Guard emphasized its focus remains on the primary causalities, the sunken tanker Terranova and the second tanker Jason Bradley which grounded.

The Philippine Coast Guard said that it had reports of the small cargo ship Mirola-1 (400 dwt) last week just before the typhoon. Today, the National Bureau of Investigation’s Naval Intelligence Unit reports it found the 45-year-old vessel ashore on the west side of Bataan severely tilted. An initial survey showed there was no one aboard the vessel and they are still working to identify its owners.

Built in 1979 in Japan, the cargo ship which is 177 feet (54 meters) in length appears to have been in operations around the Philippines since 2011. Pictures of the vessel aground show it to be in a dilapidated condition with heavy rust and one section of the deck house collapsed. 

The vessel has a history with the Coast Guard. In January 2023, the Coast Guard detained 18 crewmembers and the vessel when they discovered her offloading oil to three smaller boats. They suspected smuggling and fuel pilferage of as much as 30,000 liters of diesel fuel.

The Coast Guard initially planned to do an aerial survey of the grounded ship and go aboard to take samples. Officials were working to determine how much fuel was aboard the vessel but decided not to take the samples due to fears of possible leaks and the condition of the vessel.

They are reporting a minimal oil sheen and a light smell of diesel oil in the area. People who got aboard posted videos of two oil drums floating in water on the deck of the ship. Coast Guard officials said it was a light diesel that would dissipate in the weather and water. They said they did not want to spread their resources too thin and remain focused on the Terranova but would monitor the Mirola-1.