[14] At approximately 2 a.m. Philippine Standard Time (UTC+8) on February 28, 2023, while traversing the waters of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, MT Princess Empress experienced rough sea conditions.

[19][20] Later that day, BRP Melchora Aquino and an Airbus helicopter were dispatched to the area by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to investigate.

[33] Most of the affected areas are in the Mimaropa region,[28] with Pola suffered the worst;[31] damages were also reported in Batangas City in Calabarzon, and Caluya in Western Visayas.

[34] The NDRRMC reported that as of February 6, 2024, a total of 43,699 families or 200,244 individuals have been affected in 264 villages in the provinces of Batangas, Oriental Mindoro and Palawan, and in the municipality of Caluya, Antique.

[42][43] The study, which focused on the damage 39 weeks after the incident, reported that even after the lifting of the fishing ban, fishers still suffered income losses from July to November, and their yields decreased to only around a third of their normal catch being obtained.

[42] A separate report revealed as well that high concentration of oil and grease remained, far above normal, in affected marine protected areas,[34] particularly in Oriental Mindoro, nearly a year after the incident.

[9] The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), through the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority located the sunken tanker with actual depth at 389.1 meters.

[46] On March 23, three days after oil sightings in Verde Island, Batangas City were confirmed, the PCG elevated the response operations to Tier III, considered national-level and may call for assistance from the international community.

[32][49][36] MTSC chartered a foreign vessel (see § International) which reportedly accomplished siphoning operations within 19 days, with only few oil traces left in sunken tanker's fuel pipes.

[33] On March 12, a team of experts from Japan arrived in Pola to assist in the containment and clean up of the oil spill, as well as site visit and assessment of affected villages.

[55] On March 20, Japanese dynamic positioning vessel (DPV) Shin Nichi Maru, on board its underwater robot ROV Hakuyo, arrived in Naujan.

[61] Liberian-registered DSV Fire Opal, as well as a group of foreign specialized technicians, arrived in the country in late May to conduct siphoning operations.

[69] On the other hand, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) found as well that the tanker was registered despite RDC Reield Marine Services had submitted falsified documents to the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA); and was reportedly renovated in Navotas and not newly built in Bataan as declared by both parties,[70][71] noting alleged conflicting information on the vessel's origins; these allegations were later denied by the RDC.

[78] Some legislators raised the possibility of the government's sanctions against RDC and the vessel's charterer SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corporation; the latter is exempted from any liability under the law.

[79] In June 2023, NBI, as well as Pola mayor Jennifer Cruz, filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) multiple recommended charges against certain individuals.

[80] In February 2024, DOJ recommended the filing of criminal charges against the ship's owners and corporate officers, as well as a MARINA personnel and a private individual, all in relation to falsification of documents,[81] though their names were not disclosed yet.