By DPA
Seoul : More than 6,800 people were trying Sunday to contain an oil slick measuring at least 17 km in length and 10 metres in width, the largest ever found off South Korea’s coast, the coastguard said.
“It is possible the oil spill will extend further,” a spokesman said.
A Hong-Kong registered super tanker collided Friday with a barge spilling an estimated 10,500 tonnes of oil into the Yellow Sea.
Work to contain the oil spill would take at least two months, said the Minister for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Kang Moo Hyun. The affected Taean region, which is around 120 km south of Seoul, has officially declared a catastrophe.
Taean is a popular seaside resort. The oil slick is also threatening a maritime park and the area provides important wetland stopovers for migrating birds.
The Hebei Spirit was eight km northwest of the Taean peninsula, 110 km southwest of Seoul, waiting to enter port when it was rammed by an unmanned barge carrying a crane.
The crane punched three holes into the tanker that had a cargo of 260,000 tonnes of crude oil. The barge had loosened itself from a tug in stormy weather.
Rescue workers have finally managed to seal the holes in the tanker.
The previous oil-spill record was set in 1995 when a 144,567-tonne tanker, Sea Prince, struck a reef, releasing 5,035 tonnes of oil in waters off the south coast.