Tug Capsizes in Salvage Drama: 10 Crew Safe

The Philippine Coast Guard stages spill response gear after the SL Sual 1 sinks off western Luzon during a refloat.

Weihong Nguyen 26 Aug 2026 ·12:46 · 2 hours ago

2 min read LUZON

tug salvage — The tug SL Sual 1 capsizes off western Luzon during a salvage tow, raising diesel spill concerns.

THE ESSENTIALS

10 crew members abandoned the tug SL Sual 1 safely as it capsized during salvage operations off western Luzon.
The vessel carried 4,000 gallons of diesel, prompting pollution monitoring by the Philippine Coast Guard.
The tug had been intentionally grounded since August 14 after sustaining hull damage and engine room flooding.
The bow vanished beneath the waves in less than two minutes after the crew began abandoning ship.

A salvage operation off the coast of western Luzon ended in disaster on Monday when a grounded tugboat capsized during an attempt to refloat it, forcing its entire crew to abandon ship just meters from shore. The vessel, SL Sual 1, had been intentionally beached near the Bucao River in Barangay Bangan, Zambales, since August 14 after suffering hull damage and engine room flooding. The grounding was a preventive measure to avoid a complete sinking. Salvage teams later deployed a second tug to tow SL Sual 1 back into deeper…

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