A large oil tanker was gushing thousands of tonnes of oil off South Korea’s west coast after being hit a barge, South Korea’s maritime ministry said on Friday.
The Hong Kong-registered Hebei Spirit was struck while at anchor off Daesan port in the Taean region and the ministry said it had already leaked about 10 800 tonnes of crude oil into the sea near one of the country’s most scenic coastlines.
The ship had earlier been incorrectly identified as the Hebei Sprint.
”A barge ship being towed … collided with the oil tanker at anchor, breaching the cargo section and leaking crude oil,” ministry official Lee Jang-hoon told reporters.
But he added that because the ship had tilted slightly ”it’s unlikely there will be huge additional spills”.
The very large crude carrier (VLCC) was about 8km outside the port, waiting to unload its cargo of about 260 000 tonnes of crude oil from the Middle East. The port is about 110km south-west of Seoul.
Wind and waves of up to 4m are preventing efforts to contain the spill, which the official said could reach the coast in less than 48 hours.
The Taean region’s coast is popular for its beaches and is home to a national maritime park. It is also an important refuelling stop for migratory birds.
Lee said the oil was unlikely to spread north to the major port of Incheon which serves the capital.
Workers have been trying to shift the oil to tanks that were not damaged in the collision, he said.
Industry sources and the maritime ministry said the crude was intended for South Korean refiner, Hyundai Oilbank. The company said the damaged tanker had been destined for its Daesan refinery.
Technical managers of the MT Hebei Spirit issued a statement later in the day, confirming the collision with a local crane barge called Samsung No. 1 owned by Samsung Heavy Industries.
The statement said no injuries were reported but the vessel’s side shell on portside tanks number one, three and five were breached and crude oil had leaked out.
It said the exact quantity is not known at this stage. – Reuters