Worst South Korean Oil Spill Update

The Hong Kong-registered Hebei Spirit collided with an 11,800-ton barge on Friday morning, December 8, near Taean county, South Chungcheong province in South Korea. A crane that the barge was carrying punctured three holes in the 146,000-ton tanker during the collision, causing the vessel to spill about 10,500 tons of oil into the surrounding water. According to a South Korean government press release, "The spill is the largest in Korea’s history, about twice the size of the leak of 5,035 tons in 1995, the country’s worst oil spill before Friday’s accident."

Soon after the incident, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun attended a meeting at the National Disaster Prevention and Countermeasures Headquarters, where he told government officials "to take measures to minimize the damage from the oil spill." Then, on Saturday evening, the government declared a state of disaster in the area. The South Korean government expects the spill to negatively affect oyster and abalone farming, as well as tourism businesses, in the area.

A December 13 government press release summaries the cleanup effort: "Fearing strong winds and tides could spread the oil slick to the northern and southern tips of the Taean Peninsula, the government increased the number of soldiers, police officers and civilians working on the cleanup to 13,000 on Monday from about 9,000. The concerted efforts slowed the oil spread. A weak northwestern wind blowing toward the shore also held back some of the spill. So far, oil from the leak has shown up in waters 50 kilometers to the south and 20 kilometers to the north of the scene of the spill, affecting 5,650 hectares of fish, oyster and abalone farms in Taean . . . with help from five airplanes and hundreds of ships, the oil approaching fish farms at Anmyeondo and Gaeuido has dissipated. The oil darkening Mallipo Beach has also diminished. Fortunately, oil has not been found in Taean National Marine Park and Cheonsu Bay, a world-renowned spot for migrant birds and fish farms."

South Korean officials requested aid in the cleanup from multiple international agencies. A team of eight experts from the United Nations (UN) and European Commission (EC) was the latest to join the effort. This team, according to the most recent South Korean government press release, asserted that ". . . the spill that occurred on Dec. 7 did not cause as much environmental damage as first feared and credited efforts by the Korean government and people to cope with the disaster." The press statement went on to quote team leader Vladimir Sakharov from December 16, "The measures executed by the Korean government so far have been very effective and appropriate. The government has acted promptly and professionally."

An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway. The UN/EC team will ". . . complement Korean authorities’ efforts by providing advice on managing the emergency, removing the remaining oil and limiting its spread" and ". . . offer advice on long-term recovery for the ecosystem in the area."

For the latest news on the incident, see South Korea's government Web portal here.