The winds weren't strong and the waves weren't high. So what caused yet another oil tanker accident in South Korean waters?
Yeosu, meaning 'beautiful waters' is the location of the latest oil tanker accident to hit South Korean waters. The collision was between Heungyang a 4,050 ton tanker and the 90 ton 801 Changnyeong, this according to chosun.com.
The spill was 'light' when comparing it to the spill late last year that took place off the coast of Mallipo. That spill contaminated the Yellow Sea with more than 12 thousand kiloliters of oil. The devestating effects of that spill still have yet to be calculated in totality. This latest accident is said to have spilled only 50 kiloliters of diesel oil. The Coast guard said the damage from the latest collision will cause only minor damage, as diesel oil evaporates easily.
The accident is being reported by ABC news that the tanker collided with a small boat.
Meanwhile residents in the Taean area may see some financial relief coming their way but, not until the middle of June. The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs announced a special law to support residents affected by the December 7, 2007 tragedy. The rules on compensation should be finalized by late May.
The International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds have agreed to hand out up to $300.8 million dollars to those suffering in the aftermath of the Hebei Spirit Oil Spill. The government estimates about 45,000 households have been crushed under the weight of the oil spill.
Labels: Hebei Spirit, Mallipo, oil spill, oil tanker, South Korea, Taean
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
www.pacificspirit.org
Another Tanker Accident. South Korea.
Nearly two months after South Korea experienced the worst oil spill in it's history the beaches around the Taean Coast still show the aftermath. Not so easily seen is the aftermath left in the souls of families that made their living there.
More than a million volunteers have braved wretched weather to help in the cleanup. Senior citizens sang as they try to clear the mudflats of nearly frozen oil sludge that has laid waste to the area. One 78 year old woman working in the freezing conditions used to make enough money to support herself and her ailing husband shucking oysters in the same mudflats she is helping to heal. She tells Kim Seong-ryong in the JoongAng Daily she feels devastated and she hopes she can shuck oysters again. Until then she sings as she cleans the mudflats.
It may be years before anyone will shuck oysters in Taean. Just two months ago Taean was a thriving and beautiful tourist destination. 20,000 households operated resorts, restaurants catering to the tourists. 10,000 households made a living from fishing in the area. Now there is nothing left but the spirit of the people. For some the blow of the oil spill was too much for the spirit. Channel NewsAsia is reporting there have been 3 suicides as a result of this horrible disaster.
The government acted swiftly to declare 6 of the affected cities and counties 'special disaster' status paving the way for aid to be distributed faster. Victims are still waiting. One man, a fish seller, set himself on at a during a protest earlier this month and later died. Unless aid comes quickly he may not be the last suicide.
Thousands of people were demanding answers to how they would be justly compensated. About 64 million dollars have been sent to the disaster areas. Half of that money has been raised by the private sector, but it so far has not been distributed to those in need. Reportedly officials cannot agree on how the money should be spent.In the mean time lives already in trouble are being ruined.
A Korean court ordered the Hebei Spirit to be seized on December 24 in an effort to make her owners pay for the cleanup costs from the disaster. Samsung No.1 struck the Hebei Spirit while it was moored.
The estimated cleanup will run over 10 billion dollars. Under Korea's maritime laws the oil tanker has the responsibility to help pay for the cleanup.
Meanwhile, Samsung Heavy Industries is saying they are sorry. "We are sorry for causing a big shock and concern to the public," Samsung Heavy Industries was charged earlier this week along with 5 individuals 2 are being held in custody and 3 more have been told not to leave the country.
Photo thanks: Lee Jin-man
Labels: Hebei Spirit, oil spill, oil tanker, Samsung Heavy Industries, Samsung No.1, South Korea, Taean
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
www.pacificspirit.org
Suicides and Despair Resulting From Hebei Spirit Oil Spill. Samsung Heavy Industries apologizes.
South Korea's Government faces accusations that it acted too slowly in its response to the horrible oil spill that happened on Friday. Perhaps the slowness isn't in the time it took the government to respond to the accident on Friday, but the time it has taken to respond to the increased maritime traffic in the area.
South Korea's ports are heavily traveled with cargo vessels ladened with exports, and other ships bringing in fuel and imported goods. Traffic control in the heavily traveled Yellow Sea will no doubt undergo some heavy scrutiny.
Investigators looking into what may have gone wrong before Friday's accident that left three holes in the Hebei Spirit. The single hulled tanker lost approximately 66,000 barrels of crude oil. It's amazing that three of her 6 cargo holds were punctured.
The crane barge, the Samsung No.1 and it's tug were reportedly not where they belonged for more than an hour before the collision took place. It is also rumored today that cables and connections had not been inspected before the tug began towing the more than 11,000 ton crane back to Samsung Heavy Industries from Incheon.
The government has promised 5.9 billion won (6.4 million dollars) will be available immediately to help local fisherman and business owners cope with the economic hardships that have already begun due to the oil spill.
Beaches are being fouled and aqua-farms are wiped out. Fishermen at Uihangri village, are saying "It is a complete disaster," Tourism, which brings in more than 20 million tourists a year to the area, will be finished for quite some time putting financial hardship on hotels and restaurants. Many business owners are afraid they won't survive even with sate funds to help out.
The oil has hit destroyed more than 180 aqua-farms in the area and 14 beaches. The farms grow abalone, oysters, littleneck clams and sea cucumbers.
Photo Thanks Nytimesonline slideshow
Labels: aquaculture, Hebei Spirit, oil spill, oil tanker, South Korea
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
www.pacificspirit.org
The Korean government declared a state of disaster on Saturday, Dec.8, due to the oil spill off Mallipo Beach. Taean County and 5 surrounding counites were named. South Cheongcheong Province plans to ask that Taean County be further named a "special disaster area" apparently enabling them to receive future tax breaks and more government assistance to restore the local economy. Commerce will likely be affected adversly for years to come.
Many reports say the oil has stopped spilling from the Hong Kong-registered Hebei Spirit but, Korea Net is reporting officials as saying that as of 5 p.m. December 8, 17 kilometers of coast line of South Chungcheong province has been covered by the oil slick. The oil pushed by tides and wind and the oil still leaking from the tanker.
President Roh Moo-hyun has instructed government officials to take measures to minimize the damage from the oil
spill Korean maritime police have sent 103 ships and 5 helicopters to the scene of the oil slick. They have built
4.2 km of oil trapping fence. Efforts to trap the oil before it reaches the shore line haven't stopped the oil
from coating the once beautiful white-sand beaches of Mallipo Bay, which is no wonder considering the estimate of
2.7 million gallons of crude oil floating on the water.
There are approximately 181 aqua-culture farms in the affected area which cover about 5,650 hectares. British
Lloyd P&I, the company insuring the Samsung NO.1. may be shelling out 300 billion won ($330 million) along with the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund. Government officials are hoping affected fish and seafood farmers will be compensated quickly but have not porvided any details yet.
Nearly 8,000 workers are working at a fever pitch to clear the beaches of the gloopy oil as it comes ashore. Samsung Heavy industires has sent hundreds of its employees to the affected area to help in the clean up efforts.
Apparently Samsung Group is under investigation regarding a 'slush fund scandal'. Bad luck usually comes in threes so Samsung's bad luck may be nearing an end.
Investigators looking into what may have happened causing the largest oil spill in South Korea's history suspect the towing vessel failed to get warnings from the control tower giving them instructions on how to avoid the supertanker Hebei Spirit. There may have been a communications breakdown. Whether or not this was an equipment or a human breakdown has not been made clear. Still others investigating the accident believe the tow lines from the barge to the tow may have been broken during strong winds and high waves.
Photo Thanks cnn.com
Labels: Hebei Spirit, Mallipo, oil spill, South Korea, Yellow Sea
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
www.pacificspirit.org
State of Disaster Declared After Oil Spill in Yellow Sea
This is a dead dunlin simply fallen from the sky exhausted. The Saemangeum land reclamation project, said to be the world's largest, has been spilling hard feelings, dead birds and a vast array of wildlife upon the edge of the Yellow Sea for years.
The project covers an area 7 times the size of Manhattan, somewhere in the neighborhood of 155 sq. miles. The Saemangeum land reclamation project is only a few miles south of Friday's oil spill,as the migratory "crow flies".
South Korea hatched the reclamation project after the Korean War. Originally the reclaimed land was slated for agriculture. Once the tidal flats, vital to the migratory birds of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, were filled the land would increase arable land for rice paddies.
What seemed like a good idea in 1953,for a nation trying to rise up from the turmoil war, turned out to be unnecessary. South Korea was able to produce a massive rice surplus in the face of inefficient agricultural methods. The reclamation project went forward in spite of there being no real agricultural need providing construction work and much needed employment.
The allure of sea side tourism and the prospect of generating perhaps more than 1 billion dollars a year from tourists the Saemangeum project moved ever forward. There was also an enticing prospect of building the worlds largest golf course with more than 500 holes. Countries across the globe have been developing sea side resorts for as long as humans have sought the surf and sand. Forever?
Nearly 80% of the Mediterranean Sea has been developed for tourism. Some places like Valencia in Spain, realized some 20 years ago, it was critical to the environment to reverse the damage that has been done their coastal areas.
More than 1,600 species of life call the Korean Yellow Sea Home. Life in, along, and passing through the Yellow sea range from 70 types of phytoplankton to 500 marine invertebrates, 150 types of fishes, 230 water birds and at least 10 kinds of marine mammals. The reclamation project has resulted in the loss of at least 25% of the total tidal flats in Korea have been lost. Just one of the arguments to continue the project was; more than 300,000 birds that stop at the tidal flats will find another place to refuel. Mallipo perhaps?
"Mallipo is finished" said Choi Kyung-hwan a local fisherman who had come out to help with the cleanup.
Photo thanks www.birdskorea.org
Labels: Hebei Spirit, migratory birds, oil spill, oil tanker, Saemangeum
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
www.pacificspirit.org
Hebei Spirit Oil Spill May Have Dealt Final Blow After Saemangeum to Migratory Birds.
The Taipei Times is reporting loose ropes linking the Samsung No.1, owned by Samsung Heavy Industries, to it's tow may have been a contributing factor in Friday's oil spill off the coast of South Korea. The crane barge, Samsung No.1 and the Hebei Spirit collided causing the worst oil spill in South Korea's history.
The barge which had a crane onboard was on it's way to build a bridge in the western port city of Incheon, it was being towed by another vessel.
An Official with the ministry of maritime affairs and fisheries says initial investigations showed loose ropes linked to the towing vessel might have caused the accident. YonHap news is reporting the tow ropes broke in strong winds and high waves. Waves as high as 13 feet were being reported at the time of the collision.
3 small tankers have been dispatched to the listing Hebei Spirit to pump some of the remaining oil from her before it has a chance to spill. Oil is still spilling from the 3 holes on her port side the spill is threatening the white-sand beaches of one of Asia's largest wetlands. Officials fear the oil spilled could reach the coast of the Taean Maritime National Park by Sunday.
It's still unknown exactly how much crude oil has been leaked out so far.
Labels: Hebei Spirit, oil spill, oil tanker, Samsung Heavy Industries, Samsung No.1, Taean Maritime National Park
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
www.pacificspirit.org
Samsung No.1 May Have Broken Tow Ropes Before Crashing Into Hebei Spirit.
Waves were too high to use floating booms to contain the oil already leaking from the Hong Kong registered Hebei Spirit. The Hebei Spirit says it had a collision with a crane barge owned by Samsung Heavy Industries.
The tanker was said to be enroute to a Daesan refinery. It is now being reported that the Hebei Spirit was approximatly 5 miles out of port waiting to unload 260,000 tons of crude oil. According to South Korea's maritime ministry "A barge ship being towed...collided with the oil tanker at anchor."
Officials are saying the spill could reach shore in less than 48 hours. The Taean Peninsula is home to Taean Maritime National Park. 530 Km of silvery white-sand beaches. The Maritime and Fisheries Ministry is reporting 40 vessels fighting the oil spill. "Much will depend on how the sea currents move in coming hours."
The oil spill is already more than 5 km long and is approaching wildlife habitats and oyster beds. This area is also an important stop to migratory birds.
The last oil spilled from a tanker in this part of the world was in 1995 when nearly 31,000 barrels of crude oil were spilled off the southern coast.
Labels: Hebei Spirit, oil spill, oil tanker, Taean Maritime National Park
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
www.pacificspirit.org
13 Foot Waves May Have Contributed To Tanker Accident and Hamper Containment of Oil Spill
The South China morning press is reporting a crane-carrying vessel slammed into a Hong Kong-registered oil tanker causing it to lose 66,000 barrels of crude oil.
The cause of the accident at this time is as varied as the location of the. Yonhap News Agency has the tanker hitting a piece of loading equipment on a dock in the port of Taenan south of Seoul and has leaked 15,000 tonnes of crude oil. Bloomberg is reporting the tanker, Hebei Spirit as actually 'at anchor' when the accident happened.
The Hebei Spirit is a single hull oil tanker. A law requiring all tankers have double hulls will go into effect in 2010.
In the mean time the debate rages on over the real value of double hulled vessels as opposed to single hulled, just as the debate over the 'real' cause of global warming rages on. One has to wonder how an additional layer of protection would be deleterious in any case. Just as abstaining is safer than having protection during sex, the absences of accidents would be safer for our environment. Realistically neither is ever going to happen so for now another layer of protection seems to definetely in order.
There are 3 holes in the side of the Hebei Spirit. At this time we don't know if the crane was on a barge or on a dock, but the tanker has leaked a tremendous amount of crude oil causing yet another environmental tragedy.
If the 66,000 barrel spill is a correct amount and no more oil will be lost, this is about 1/3 the size of the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989.
Labels: Hebei Spirit, oil spill, oil tanker
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
www.pacificspirit.org