In the latest update on the MT Princess Empress Oil Spill, the University of the Philippines’ Marine Science Institute (MSI) warns that the spill is expected to reach the Cuyo Islands in the Philippines and get closer to the northern Palawan mainland in about a week's time.

According to the bulletin released on March 5, the model forecasts that the spill will continue to move south-west towards the Cuyo group of islands, as seen in the image for March 7. The spill trajectory is then projected to bring it closer to the northern Palawan mainland by March 12, as shown in the image for that date.

However, the bulletin also issued a disclaimer stating that the model results are only forecasts and the accuracy of these predictions is difficult to determine. The model does not take into account the effects of dispersion, evaporation, emulsification, and degradation of the oil, and it assumes that the oil behaves like persistent buoyant particles. Furthermore, the forcing parameters are based on global models that do not consider narrow straits and small islands in the area. Therefore, the public is advised to use the model results with caution.