ALOS-2 Observation of the Oil Spill Caused by the Sinking of a Tanker in Manila Bay, Philippines

On July 25, 2024, a tanker called “Terra Nova”, carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil, capsized and sank near Manila Bay in the Philippines due to heavy rains caused by Typhoon No.3 and monsoon. The Philippines Space Agency (PhilSA) had requested Sentinel Asia to conduct emergency observations of Manila Bay, and JAXA had accepted its request and provided satellite data using ALOS-2 to observe the possible areas of the oil spill. The observation data were analyzed by the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC), and PhilSA, and possible oil spill maps were provided to PhilSA on August 8, 2024, at the earliest.

The map above shows the possible oil spill areas identified by AIT’s analysis using ALOS-2 satellite data. The star on the map indicates the possible location of the capsized Terra Nova, and the orange areas represent the potential oil spill areas as of July 27 and 30, 2024.(Click to display the map site.)

This cooperation in providing ALOS-2 satellite data was carried out through “Sentinel Asia”, an international cooperation project aimed at supporting disaster relief efforts in the Asia-Pacific region by optimizing space technology.

<What is Sentinel Asia?>

Established in 2006 and led by JAXA as the executive secretariat in order to enhance mitigation from natural disasters by sharing disaster-related information such as Earth observation satellite data on the Internet.
As of August 2024, there are 116 members from 30 countries including space agencies, research institutions, disaster prevention organization.

On August 8, 2024, the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines posted information about this case on their website. Through Sentinel Asia, JAXA will continue to deepen its cooperation with both domestic and international members to assist in disasters response and mitigation.

Emergency Observation by ALOS-2 (The Japan Standard Time)
Requester: Philippines Space Agency (PhilSA)
Activation Date: July 25, 2024
Observation Mode: Strip map and ScanSAR
Observation Date:
July 25, 2024 (Strip map)
July 27, 2024 (ScanSAR)
Observed Data Provided Date: August 8, 2024
*All times are in Japan Standard Time (JST)