Collision causes nation's biggest sea oil spill
By Zheng Caixiong (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-12-09 00:42

Clean-up efforts may limit pollution in the aftermath of a collision between two foreign ships and a subsequent crude oil spill, the worst ever in Chinese waters.

Mscilona was ripped off a big gap. [newsphoto]

Two foreign-registered ships collided at 9:35 pm on Tuesday about 8 nautical miles away from the mouth of the Pearl River.

The Hvundai Advance, registered in Panama, was sailing from Shenzhen to Singapore when it collided with a German ship Mscilona which was going from Shenzhen to Shanghai.

A fuel storehouse of the 300-metre-long, 75,500-ton Mscilona broke and started leaking crude oil. The 182-metre-long, 21,000-ton Hvundai Advance was also damaged.

The leaking oil soon formed a 9-nautical-mile-long and 200-metre-wide oil belt near the mouth of the Pearl River in South China's Guangdong Province.

More than 450 tons of crude oil spilled.

It is the biggest spill in Chinese waters, said Wang Xiangtao, director of Guangdong Provincial Marine Bureau.

Wang is now leading a special task force to handle the case. Nine cleaning ships from Guangdong Province are now working to recover the leaking oil and prevent it from spreading further.

Wang said strong winds and waves at the spot of the collision are likely to hamper the clean-up.

So far, workers have found few fish and other marine animals in the waters where the two vessels collided.

The clean-up is likely to last a few days, Wang said.

The two vessels have been removed for maintenance and further investigation.

No deaths and injures have been reported.

A helicopter was also sent to help monitor the ocean pollution, said Wang.

The provincial marine bureau has also asked marine departments in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai to keep an eye on the polluted waters.

Xu Zuyuan, vice-minister of communications, has urged all relevant departments to do what they can to prevent the pollution from extending to neighbouring Hong Kong and Macao waters and the oil spill from destroying the ecology in the Pearl River mouth.

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