Fishing boats fight oil spill
Source: Agencies/Shanghai Daily |
July 20, 2010, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
One of China's biggest ports was partially closed yesterday after a major oil spill triggered by a fire last Friday.
The aftermath of the fire, after explosions at two pipelines, could disrupt shipments of oil, iron ore and soy.
The blaze at Xingang Port in northeastern Dalian broke out as a crude oil tanker was being off-loaded.
Nobody was hurt, but hundreds of firefighters battled for more than 15 hours to douse the flames, and about 1,500 tons of oil spilled into the sea, causing a 183 square kilometer slick, 50sq km of which was rated "severe."
PetroChina has a contingency plan to cope with one week's closure of the main oil port that regularly receives crude shipments and is also an export hub for gasoline and diesel.
Industry sources are divided on how long the port will limit vessel movements, with some estimating between seven and more than 10 days.
Dalian in Liaoning Province is China's second largest port for crude oil imports.
Wang Ning, a senior engineer with the maritime affairs bureau of Liaoning, said port operations were limited but not completely suspended.
Ships are allowed to enter and exit the port with permission, he said.
PetroChina has begun trimming refinery operations at one of its processing plants by "several thousand tons" per day. "The port was sealed right after the explosion. We have a one-week contingency plan, but are hoping that the oil spill can be cleaned up as soon as possible," an oil executive said.
Hundreds of fishing boats were taking part in the massive cleanup operation yesterday.
They have been equipped with oil absorbent materials and dispersants to help in the cleanup south of Dalian's Golden Pebble Beach and east of Bangchui Island.
Strong winds had helped contain the severely polluted area on Sunday, Luan Yuxuan, deputy director of Dalian's Oceanic and Fishery Administration, said yesterday.
He said that cleanup operations would take at least four to five days.
The cleanup began on Saturday and by yesterday morning, 24 oil cleanup vessels and 800 fishing boats had been mobilized, said Luan. About 460 tons of the spilled oil had been collected.
Officials said they did not know the exact amount of oil that spilled into the sea.
Large quantities of oil dispersant and absorbent materials have been shipped in from neighboring Tianjin Municipality and Shandong Province, according to maritime officials.
The aftermath of the fire, after explosions at two pipelines, could disrupt shipments of oil, iron ore and soy.
The blaze at Xingang Port in northeastern Dalian broke out as a crude oil tanker was being off-loaded.
Nobody was hurt, but hundreds of firefighters battled for more than 15 hours to douse the flames, and about 1,500 tons of oil spilled into the sea, causing a 183 square kilometer slick, 50sq km of which was rated "severe."
PetroChina has a contingency plan to cope with one week's closure of the main oil port that regularly receives crude shipments and is also an export hub for gasoline and diesel.
Industry sources are divided on how long the port will limit vessel movements, with some estimating between seven and more than 10 days.
Dalian in Liaoning Province is China's second largest port for crude oil imports.
Wang Ning, a senior engineer with the maritime affairs bureau of Liaoning, said port operations were limited but not completely suspended.
Ships are allowed to enter and exit the port with permission, he said.
PetroChina has begun trimming refinery operations at one of its processing plants by "several thousand tons" per day. "The port was sealed right after the explosion. We have a one-week contingency plan, but are hoping that the oil spill can be cleaned up as soon as possible," an oil executive said.
Hundreds of fishing boats were taking part in the massive cleanup operation yesterday.
They have been equipped with oil absorbent materials and dispersants to help in the cleanup south of Dalian's Golden Pebble Beach and east of Bangchui Island.
Strong winds had helped contain the severely polluted area on Sunday, Luan Yuxuan, deputy director of Dalian's Oceanic and Fishery Administration, said yesterday.
He said that cleanup operations would take at least four to five days.
The cleanup began on Saturday and by yesterday morning, 24 oil cleanup vessels and 800 fishing boats had been mobilized, said Luan. About 460 tons of the spilled oil had been collected.
Officials said they did not know the exact amount of oil that spilled into the sea.
Large quantities of oil dispersant and absorbent materials have been shipped in from neighboring Tianjin Municipality and Shandong Province, according to maritime officials.
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