A fishing vessel carrying 70,000 litres of fuel sank during Super Typhoon Saola's onslaught, sparking oil spill fears among locals in the Philippines.

The ship, ANITA DJ II, had set out from Navotas Port in Manila but sank in rough seas some seven nautical miles off Cape Santiago in Calatagan town, Batangas province, on August 27.

Footage shows the water slowly swallowing the tip of the vessel during the storm.

The Coast Guard Station (CGS) Batangas said they were notified by local police about the capsized ship and deployed a search and rescue team to bring the 13 crew back to shore.

In a statement, CGS Batangas said: 'The search and rescue team along with 13 rescued crew members of the said vessel safely arrived at Coast Guard Sub-station Calatagan. The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office also provided medical assistance to the rescued crew.

'BRP Bagacay (MRRV-4410), a 44-metre multi-role response vessel operated by the Philippine Coast Guard, was dispatched to respond to the distressed vessel. MRRV 4410 reported the stricken vessel to be half-submerged about 1:35PM and confirmed its sinking at 3:17 PM in waters 2.16 nautical miles south southwest of Cape Santiago in Calatagan Island.

'Further investigation of the crew into the reason of the mishap is currently ongoing.'

The Coast Guard said it was coordinating with the local disaster office to respond to possible oil spills.

The incident comes six months after another vessel, the MT Princess Empress loaded with 900,000 litres of industrial fuel, sank in Oriental Mindoro province some 124 miles away and caused a disastrous oil spill that covered a 75-mile area in toxic sludge.

Typhoon Saola, known locally as 'Goring', intensified into a super typhoon on August 27 and weakened slightly to typhoon status on Monday, state weather agency PAGASA said.

It tore through the Philippines' northern provinces over the weekend, displacing more than 2,000 people, officials said.

PAGASA said Saola was moving toward the Luzon Strait between Taiwan and the Philippine island of Luzon on Tuesday morning. It was expected to maintain its strength as it churns northwest toward Taiwan.