The MT Princess Empress, the oil tanker that submerged and caused the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro, is not brand new but a rebuilt scrap vessel, Justice Secretary Crispin ‘Boying’ Remulla disclosed on Thursday.

In an interview with the media, Remulla said the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) findings showed that the vessel is already 50 years old, which contradicted the owner’s claims that it was a 2-year-old vessel.

He said the NBI also found that MT Princess Empress has undergone rehabilitation two times.

“It was not built to be a tanker from the very beginning. Unang ni-build para maging [Liquefied petroleum gas] LPG carrier tapos ni-build na naman. Pinahaba para maging tanker,” he said.

According to Remulla, the justice department has the affidavit of the witness who knew about the rehabilitation of MT Princess Empress.

He also shared that the NBI also discovered that a day before the incident in Oriental Mindoro, there was a gale warning but the vessel ignored this.

“Tumuloy pa rin sila [sa paglayag],” Remulla added.

The Justice Chief said the government is studying the possible criminal and civil complaints against the concerned individuals including the vessel’s owner.

Earlier, the Department of Transportation - Maritime Industry Authority (DOTr-Marina) confirmed that the oil tanker has no authorized permit to operate.

On February 28, the MT Princess Empress which carried 800,000 liters submerged Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) earlier reported that the vessel encountered a problem with its engine due to overheating, and later on drifted due to sea conditions.