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Save RPT-Tanker in Korea oil spill
moved to Hyundai refinery
SEOUL, Dec 18 (Reuters)
Source: Reuters Foundation
Date: 18 Dec 2007
SEOUL, Dec 18 (Reuters) - South Korea's Hyundai Oilbank Co will receive
crude from a tanker that leaked thousands of tonnes of oil earlier this
month in the country's worst oil spill, a company source said on Tuesday.
Some 10,500 tonnes of crude is estimated to have leaked from the Hong
Kong-registered Hebei Spirit on Dec. 7.
"All three holes in the tanker have been repaired as of last night, so
the tanker will be moved to our port today," said the source.
About 250,000 tonnes of leftover crude from the tanker will be unloaded
at Hyundai Oilbank's 390,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery in Daesan,
located on South Korea's west coast, the source said.
The Hebei Spirit was about five miles outside the port, waiting to
unload its cargo of around 260,000 tonnes of crude oil when it was
struck by a barge. The port is around 110 km (70 miles) southwest of
Seoul.
Hyundai Oilbank had said after the spill it will not buy additional
crude but will borrow from the state-run Korea National Oil Corp (KNOC)
if they face shortages.
The Hong Kong-flagged tanker was carrying heavy sour Khafji crude from
the Middle East, industry sources said.
Khafji is produced in the Neutral Zone between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
(Reporting by Angela Moon; Editing by Sei Chong)
2007 Korea oil spill
Background
At about 7:30 am local time on December 7, 2007 (2230 UTC on 6 December
2007), a crane barge owned by Samsung Heavy Industries being towed by a
tug collided with the anchored Hong Kong registered crude carrier Hebei
Spirit, carrying 260,000 tonnes (290,000 ST) of crude oil. The incident
occurred near the Port of Daesan on the Yellow Sea coast of Taean county.
The barge was floating free after the cable linking it to the tug
snapped in the rough seas. Although no casualties were reported, the
collision punctured three of the five containers aboard the Hebei Spirit
and resulted in the leaking of some 10,800 tonnes (11,900 ST) of
oil.[4][5]
Police Officer volunteerThe remaining oil from the damaged containers
was pumped out into the undamaged containers and the holes were sealed.[6][7]
The spill occurred near Mallipo Beach, considered one of South Korea's
most beautiful and popular beaches.[8] The region affected by the spill
is home to one of Asia's largest wetland areas, used by migratory birds,
and also contains a national maritime park and 445 sea farms.[5]
Effects
It was initially believed the oil spill would not spread due to the cold
winter temperatures. However, unseasonably warm weather, combined with
strong waves and unexpected wind directions, resulted in the spill
expanding beyond initial expectations.[9]
On 9 December it was reported that the oil slick was already 33 km (21
mi) long and 10 m (33 ft) wide and 10 cm (4 in) thick in some areas.[5][7][9]
It was also reported that at least 30 beaches have been affected and
over half of the region's sea farms are believed to have lost their
stocks due to the spill. Sinduri Dune, a South Korean natural treasure,
is reported to have been saturated by the spill.[9]
Although most migratory birds have not yet arrived in the region, sea
gulls, mallard ducks and other sea life have been found tarred by the
oil.[8][9]
On 14th of December, the oil balls had arrived at Anmyeon-do (Anmyeon
Island), resulting in at least five beaches being contaminated with
large tar lumps. It was believed that the oil belt was not going to go
down to Anmyeon Island, but bad, windy weather was responsible for it.
On 15th of December, the tar lumps had also floated to Boryeong (mostly
around Wonsan Island and Sapsi Island of Boryeong city) and to Gunsan in
Jeolla province as well.
Response
The South Korean government declared a state of disaster in the region.
The cost of cleanup has been estimated at 300 billion South Korean won (US$330
million). The cleanup involved 13 helicopters, 17 airplanes, and 327
vessels.[1] It has also been estimated the cleanup will take at least
two months.[1][9] Hundreds of thousands of volunteers and celebrities
including popular Korean actress Park Jin Hee helped to clean up the
beaches in the campaign. The Navy has so far deployed 229 vessels and
some 22,000 military personnel to help clean up the spill in addition to
civilian aid. [2]
On 10 January 2008, the number of volunteers topped the 1-million mark
to reach 1,037,000 people, 33 days after the accident occurred on
December 7, according to the South Chungcheong provincial government.
[3] The Taean office for emergency operations reported that ordinary
civilians took up the largest portion of volunteers with 580,000,
followed by local residents with 186,700, soldiers and policemen with
127,000, and public officials with 57,143. The emergency office said an
average of 20,000 volunteers took part in the operation during weekdays
and 3,000 over the weekends. [4]
By January 2008, approximately 4,153 tons of crude oil spilled had been
collected by utilizing some 268,710 kilograms of oil absorbents and
other cleanup devices. [5] Financial contributions combined to 27.76
billion South Korean won in donations, as well as food and clothing. The
Taean emergency center said more than seven billion won in donations
have come from about 4,200 organizations and individuals. [6]
Internationally, the Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan under the
Northwest Pacific Action Plan(NOWPAP) has been activated following a
request of the Korean government. Among the emergency supplies available
in the other three NOWPAP members (China, Japan and Russia), Korean
government, taking into account logistical issues, accepted kind offers
of 50 and 10 tonnes of sorbents from China and Japan respectively. Japan
has also dispatched a team of experts in addition to the teams from the
Joint UNEP/OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
Environment Unit and the European Commission Monitoring Information
Center, U.S. Coast Guard and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (AUB).
[7]
Responsibility
It has been reported that the regional office of the Ministry of
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries had twice tried to warn the barge captain
that the barge was too close to the tanker two hours before the incident
but was unable to do so.[1] The barge captain is also under
investigation for through the area in rough weather.[8] The tanker is
reported to have been at anchor when it was hit by the barge, which had
broken free from its towing lines.[7]
The South Korean Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and police
admitted to having not provided sufficient amount of oil absorbent
material to fishermen and residents as well as not having paid enough
attention to the wind direction.[9]
According to a recent report, compensation will be mostly paid by China
P&I and Skuld P&I, which are insurers for the Hebei Spirit, and some
paid by Samsung Fire and Lloyd P&I.[10] International Oil Pollution
Funds (IOPC) will be responsible to pay if China P&I and Skuld P&I
become unable to pay for the cost or if the damages exceed the
shipowners limitation of liability set under an international convention.
On December 20, the Korean Coast Guard completed an initial
investigation. According to their conclusions, blame is shared between
the tug captains, the barge captain, and the captain of the Hebei Spirit.
The tug captains and the barge captain are charged with negligence and
violating the marine pollution prevention law. The captain of the Hebei
Spirit has been charged with violating marine law.[11]
Tankers
Row over Hebei Spirit
discharge
By Keith Wallis in Hong Kong - Monday 10 December 2007
A WRANGLE has broken out between the operator of the stricken very large
crude carrier Hebei Spirit and South Korean officials over how to
discharge about 253,000 tonnes of crude oil that remains onboard the
vessel.
This followed Friday’s incident when three cargo tanks on board the
fully-loaded tanker were holed by a crane barge as it was being towed
past the anchored vessel. The accident has caused South Korea’s worst
oil spill and so far affected more than 40km of coastline including
seafood farms and bird habitats.
China’s Hebei Ocean Shipping, which owns the 1993-built, 269,605 dwt
single-hull tanker, said Hyundai Oilbank had so far refused to allow the
use of a feeder tanker to offload the cargo from the vessel.
Hebei Ocean Shipping said Hyundai Oilbank, which was due to receive the
cargo at its Daesan refinery, about 150km southwest of Seoul, was
unwilling to receive cargo in small vessels including lightering barges.
Hyundai Oilbank refused to comment.
Hebei Ocean Shipping added that the port authority in Daesan had refused
to sanction the use of a panamax tanker to carry out lightering
activities.
Despite the apparent refusal of Hyundai Oilbank to allow barges to use
its terminal facilities, both Hebei Ocean Shipping and South Korea’s
marine police, which is in charge of the clean-up operation, have
organised several barges to offload cargo.
Assuranceforeningen Skuld, the Norwegian classification society,
confirmed it was assisting Hebei Ocean Shipping over the Hebei Spirit.
Speaking from Hong Kong, Skuld senior vice president Patrick Wang said:
“It’s pretty obvious the tugs and barges were 100% liable.”
Ince & Co, through its London office, has also been retained by Skuld
“although the main aspects of the case are being dealt with by Skuld,”
one insider said.
This came as South Korea yesterday ruled out any move to ban single-hull
tankers ahead of the International Maritime Organizaton’s 2010 phase out
of these tankers, South Korea’s maritime ministry said. "We will go
along with the international regulation but we do not have any plan to
tighten regulations on the tankers," Lee Ki-sang, an official
responsible for offshore operations at the ministry, told Reuters.
Investigators from the Korea maritime safety tribunal have already
launched a probe into the cause of the incident when the crane onboard
the 1,600 gt crane barge Samsung No 1 collided with the tanker and
ruptured port cargo tanks one, three and five. Investigators carried out
preliminary interviews of the 30 crew onboard the Hong Kong-flagged
tanker last Saturday.
Hebei Ocean Shipping also arranged for representatives from the
International Tanker Owner Pollution Federation (ITOPF) to assess the
situation and assist with an independent report on the potential
environmental impact of the spill.
Samsung Heavy Industries has confirmed ownership of the tugs and barges,
but declined to comment further on the incident.
Insiders speculated that the insurance liability of the barge could be
capped at between $5m-$10m, while the International Convention on Civil
Liability for Oil Pollution Damage would further cap compensation at
around $115m.
They pointed out that Samsung Heavy may have social responsibility
insurance, as companies do in Japan, and that, depending on the outcome
of official investigations into the incident, the shipbuilder could face
charges of gross negligence.
About 8,800 police, troops and workers, including several groups from
Samsung Heavy Industries together with 138 vessels and four helicopters,
battled to contain oil from the vessel. Reuters reported yesterday that
oil had washed up along more than 40 km of coastline in the Taean region
where parts of the coast have been declared "a special disaster area" by
the Seoul government.
South Korea oil spill
spreads
The massive slick has devastated one of South Korea's most scenic
coastal areas [Reuters]
Contamination from South Korea worst-ever oil spill has spread to affect
more than 50 kilometres of coastline, killing wildlife and devastating
communities that rely on fishing and tourism.
Reporting from the hard-hit fishing town of Eui Hang, Al Jazeera's
correspondent Marga Ortigas said that by early Monday the length of
coastline affected had more than doubled overnight as tons of crude was
washed ashore.
Earlier South Korea's environment minister warned the huge clean-up
effort was likely to drag on for at least two months.
The area around Mallipo relies
heavily on fishing and tourism
Kang Moo-Hyun said the spill, caused by a collision between a tanker and
barge on Friday, had caused serious contamination along a large stretch
of coastline, with the oil sludge either glued onto beaches or sinking
to the seabed.
The pollution has devastated wildlife and dozens of businesses along the
coast of Taean county, where fishing, seafood farming and tourism are
the major industries.
Oyster farms say they have seen their stocks completely destroyed while
hotels which rely on tourist trade to what had been some of the
country's most scenic beaches are reporting cancelled bookings.
Ortigas said that it will take at least a decade to rebuild the oyster
farms which had lost their stocks.
Many people are now calling for the government to provide urgent
compensation.
South Korea oil slick numbers
10,500 tons of oil leaked into the sea from supertanker Hebei Spirit
263,000 tons of crude carried on the tanker
50 km of coastline affected by slick
$6.5m in initial clean-up funds released by government
8,800 police, troops and volunteers involved in clean-up efforts
138 ships working to contain remaining slick at sea
5,000 tons of oil leaked in South Korea's previous worst spill in 1995,
costing $104m to clean up
At Mallipo, one of South Korea's best known beaches, waves of
contaminated sea water have dumped a thick, stinking slick of crude oil
along the shore.
The area is an important stopover for migrating birds and
conservationists say the spill is likely to kill thousands of them.
About 10,000 tons of oil have leaked from the Hong Kong registered
supertanker, Hebei Spirit.
The tanker was holed on Friday in a collision with a South Korean-owned
barge which came unmoored from its tug in rough seas.
The Hebei Spirit is a single-hulled tanker, considered less safe than
modern double-hulled tanker which are more difficult to hole.
An international ban on single-hulled tankers is due to take effect in
2010.
By Sunday officials said the holes in the Hebei Spirit had been plugged
and the remaining oil removed from the ship.
About 10,000 tons of oil have leaked from the supertaner Hebei
Spririt
[AFP]
Police, members of the military, local residents, civil servants and
volunteers have joined a force of almost 9,000 people struggling to
clean up the coastline.
Offshore coast guard, navy and fishing boats, backed up by helicopters,
led efforts to contain the remaining slick.
Government officials have said they are considering declaring the region
a special disaster area.
Such a move would enable the central government to give financial aid to
the local government to cover the cost of the clean-up, provide tax cuts
to residents and allow them to delay loan payments to banks.
The slick is the word's biggest oil spill in more than four years, since
the taker Tasman Spirit leaked about 27,000 tons at the port of Karachi
in Pakistan in 2003.
Fuentes/Fonts
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EGUA-79ZNE8?OpenDocument
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/SHES-7A9NPC?OpenDocument&query=Hebei%20Spirit
http://www.lanacion.com.ar/Archivo/nota.asp?nota_id=968977
http://ar.news.yahoo.com/s/06122007/59/n-world-968977-derrame-petr-leo-corea-sur.html
http://www2.lavoz.com.ar/07/12/09/secciones/sociedad/nota.asp?nota_id=142357
http://www.radio.uchile.cl/notas.aspx?idNota=42549
http://www.lanacion.com.py/noticias.php?not=174489
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/SHES-79VL46?OpenDocument&RSS20=22-P
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KKAA-79Z9TN?OpenDocument
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Korea_oil_spill
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0712/S00974.htm
http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/viewArticle.htm?articleId=20017486365&src=rss
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/5A6A780E-21BE-4432-8C9F-E10E544AC37A.htm
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1693383,00.html
http://www.physorg.com/news116407357.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/world/asia/10skorea.html About pollution...OPC is
the solutions |
