Race to contain oil spill after ships capsize as typhoon hits Taiwan and Philippines

Annabelle Liang, July 25: A sunken tanker in the Philippines has left an oil spill stretching for almost four kilometers (2.5 miles). But the impact could be far wider than what the eye can see.

In an ordinary clean-up, officials will immediately deploy booms, or temporary floating barriers, to limit how far the spill can spread.

However the rough weather has delayed these efforts, said Hernando Bacosa, an environmental sciences expert at the Mindanao State University.

 Bacosa said the amount of oil the vessel was carrying - around 1.5 million litres - makes the incident a "tier three, the highest tier in our national oil spill contingency plan".

"Manila Bay is also where the Port of Manila is, the biggest port in the Philippines and the center of trade and economic activity. This could paralyze the capital and the neighboring areas," he added.

Gaemi, Taiwan's first typhoon of the year, has killed three people and injured hundreds more. It has also intensified seasonal monsoon rains in the Philippines, south of Taiwan.