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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 1:15 am Post subject: Massive oil spill off Korean coast |
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http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2883672
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Oil cleanup underway in the worst-ever spill
TAEAN ― A barge crashed into a moored oil tanker a few minutes before sunrise yesterday, dumping more than 10,000 tons of fuel oil into the sea in the country�s worst-ever such spill.
The incident, which happened 15 kilometers, or 9 miles, off Korea�s west coast in the Yellow Sea, threatens fish farms in the area and possibly some of the country�s beaches.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Martime Affairs and Fisheries, the �Hebei Spirit,� a 146,848-ton oil tanker from Hong Kong, was struck by an 11,800-ton Samsung Heavy Industries barge about 7:15 a.m. The accident took place about 15 kilometers northwest of Manripo, in South Chungcheong.
The ministry said the Samsung barge held a 300-ton crane that had been used for construction work on Incheon Bridge. The wire connecting the barge and the tugboat that was pulling it snapped, and the free-floating barge slammed into the tanker. The barge punched three holes in the left side of the tanker and about 10,500 tons of crude oil was spilled into the seas. �The oil tanker was not a double-hulled vessel,� a maritime ministry official said. �If it were, the damage would have been smaller.�
The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries said in its release that the oil spill might reach beach resorts on the nation�s west coast, including Taean Harbor, Manripo and Cheonripo beaches, in two days if poor weather continues to hamper the clean-up process.
Waves as high as four meters, or 13 feet, along with winds blowing at 18 meters per second are hindering the decontamination process, the release said.
Fish farms raising oysters, shellfish, sea cucumbers and abalones are located nearby.
Some residents living close to the accident site said they were vomiting from the strong odor of the crude oil.
�Because the waves are so high, we can�t check on our fish farms,� said Mun Gwang-sun, 52, the head of the Manripo fisheries community. �We haven�t seen the spilled oil yet, but it will soon reach the coast.�
The ministry official said that 17 maritime police patrol boats and 11 vessels built for maritime decontamination created a fence around the massive leak about 6 p.m. yesterday. The navy also provided two vessels. The Taean maritime police also dispatched boats and helicopters to the site.
The amount of oil dumped into the sea is more than double the 1995 �Sea Prince� incident, known as the worst maritime contamination incident in Korea�s history.
In that incident, the ship ran aground about 8.25 kilometers outside of Yeousu, spilling about 5,000 tons of crude oil into the South Sea.
Workers last night were removing the remaining oil inside the damaged tanks to other tanks.
The Taean maritime police yesterday began questioning the crew of the barge to find out exactly what caused the accident. |
So, does anyone actually live near there (on near the coast) that this would affect in any way?
Last edited by Captain Corea on Sun Dec 09, 2007 1:30 am; edited 1 time in total |
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bassexpander
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.
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| Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 1:20 am Post subject: |
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| We were watching this on the DMB in the car last night. Oil spills are pretty gross! |
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NightSky
Joined: 19 Apr 2005
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| Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 1:27 am Post subject: |
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| I was there today. It smelled and looked pretty bad, as you'd expect. |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 1:31 am Post subject: |
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| NightSky wrote: |
| I was there today. It smelled and looked pretty bad, as you'd expect. |
Did you notice any birds and wildlife being affected?
(i know it seems an obvious answer, but with the lack of wildlife in Korea, ya never know) |
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NightSky
Joined: 19 Apr 2005
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| Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 1:37 am Post subject: |
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| Couldn't get close enough to really look around. There were buses of soldiers being shipped in, police everywhere redirecting traffic, piles of oil-soaked crap everywhere...okay, I'm sure I could have gotten down to the beach if I really tried, although being whitey I doubt I would have escaped notice. It was chaotic though and I didn't stay long. Feel bad for all the local restaurant owners whose fish are all going to die and they'll be out of business. |
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Julius
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 1:44 am Post subject: |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
| NightSky wrote: |
| I was there today. It smelled and looked pretty bad, as you'd expect. |
Did you notice any birds and wildlife being affected?
(i know it seems an obvious answer, but with the lack of wildlife in Korea, ya never know) |
Yep, they've been picking up dead birds off the beaches all day apparently.
Koreans are one of the last to still use single-hull oil tankers. they should be banned until they upgrade.
This is not an isolated incident.. only last month a Korean tanker spilled 58000 gallons into San Francisco bay after hitting the oakland bridge.
Nov 12 2007
"The Cosco Busan was departing Oakland for South Korea in dense fog when it hit a tower supporting the western suspension span of the Bay Bridge, the Coast Guard said. After the accident, the ship moored near Treasure Island, which the bridge crosses.
The U.S. attorney in San Francisco opened a criminal investigation over the weekend to see if federal maritime laws may have been violated by the captain and crew, Allen said. "The vessel is detained in port under a captain of the port order because it is unsafe to sail."
On Friday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency, freeing money to clean up the spill.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/11/bay.oilspill/ |
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xtchr
Joined: 23 Nov 2004
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I'm Seoul Lost
Joined: 19 Jun 2006
Location: In the mountains of Gyeonggi
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| Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 6:03 am Post subject: |
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| Julius wrote: |
| Captain Corea wrote: |
| NightSky wrote: |
| I was there today. It smelled and looked pretty bad, as you'd expect. |
Did you notice any birds and wildlife being affected?
(i know it seems an obvious answer, but with the lack of wildlife in Korea, ya never know) |
Yep, they've been picking up dead birds off the beaches all day apparently.
Koreans are one of the last to still use single-hull oil tankers. they should be banned until they upgrade.
This is not an isolated incident.. only last month a Korean tanker spilled 58000 gallons into San Francisco bay after hitting the oakland bridge.
Nov 12 2007
"The Cosco Busan was departing Oakland for South Korea in dense fog when it hit a tower supporting the western suspension span of the Bay Bridge, the Coast Guard said. After the accident, the ship moored near Treasure Island, which the bridge crosses.
The U.S. attorney in San Francisco opened a criminal investigation over the weekend to see if federal maritime laws may have been violated by the captain and crew, Allen said. "The vessel is detained in port under a captain of the port order because it is unsafe to sail."
On Friday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency, freeing money to clean up the spill.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/11/bay.oilspill/ |
While I am against the use of single-hulled tankers, get your facts straight. The ship in San Francisco was not a tanker. Had you even glanced at the photograph, you would know that it is a containership. Please tell me how double-hulled tankers would have prevented the spill of that ship's fuel oil. |
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Juregen
Joined: 30 May 2006
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| Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 1:08 pm Post subject: |
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| That area is going to be a dead zone for at least three years to come, economically and ecologically. |
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bluelake
Joined: 01 Dec 2005
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| Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 1:46 pm Post subject: |
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That's a real tragedy. That is a very beautiful area. A really great ethnographic study was done back in the late 60s of the village of 의항 (Euihang), which is not too far from 만리포 (Mallipo), by Dr. Vincent Brandt, called A Korean Village: Between Farm and Sea (ISBN 0-88133-484-7); in the book, he gave the village the fictional name of 석포 (Seokpo). My family and I visited there a few years ago and I made a photojournal of our visit to the village.
I hope they are able to recover from the spill... |
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The Hammer
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Ullungdo 37.5 N, 130.9 E, altitude : 223 m
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| Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 3:08 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="Julius"][quote="Captain Corea"]
| NightSky wrote: |
This is not an isolated incident.. only last month a Korean tanker spilled 58000 gallons into San Francisco bay after hitting the oakland bridge.
Nov 12 2007
"The Cosco Busan was departing Oakland for South Korea in dense fog when it hit a tower supporting the western suspension span of the Bay Bridge, the Coast Guard said. After the accident, the ship moored near Treasure Island, which the bridge crosses.
On Friday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency, freeing money to clean up the spill.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/11/bay.oilspill/ |
That pisses me off! We need to retaliate by destroying the Port of Incheon.
Missiles Away!
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kiwiduncan
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 3:19 pm Post subject: |
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Here's a link from the Korean Federation of Environmental Movements, with a video showing just how bad it is.
http://www.kfem.or.kr/kbbs/bbs/board.php?bo_table=hissue&wr_id=5206
I'm not sure if the ship was Korean or from elsewhere. I know it was registered in Hong Kong but that says nothing about who owns it. |
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Mosley
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 4:50 pm Post subject: |
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In light of this maritime disaster I think we'll see some firm action by the ROK government. Yes,....
...all E-2 holders will be required to re-verify their degrees.
Seriously, though, folks, I used to live near the coastline affected and it is(was) a pretty nice area by Korean standards. Being a seafood lover was also a bonus. Christ only knows how long it'll take for the area to recover...if ever. |
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Ilsanman
Joined: 15 Aug 2003
Location: Bucheon, Korea
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| Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 5:04 pm Post subject: |
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| I have heard of Mallipo, but where is that exactly? Is it near Anmyeondo? Incheon? |
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Mosley
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 5:23 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, it's near Anmyeondo, Daechon and not all that far from the Mud Festival town.
I used to live in Seosan and whatever the drawbacks of the place it sure is a place to enjoy seafood. |
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