South Korea's coast guard sent boats to contain oil spilling off the country's west coast from a Hong Kong-registered supertanker that collided with a barge.
About 11,000 metric tons (81,000 barrels) of crude oil was spilt after a crane on the barge crashed into the Hebei Spirit at 7:15 a.m. local time, Jeong Seon Mun, deputy director of the maritime safety information center at South Korea's Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Fisheries, said. The ship was anchored 5 miles (8 kilometers) northwest of the Taean peninsula at the time.
Oil is still spilling,'' Jeong said by telephone in Seoul. The police face difficulty in carrying out the operation because high waves make it hard to contain the spill.''
The Taean Coast Guard deployed 12 patrol boats and 3 accident control boats to contain the spill, Jeong said.
The tanker was carrying crude oil for Hyundai Oilbank Co.'s refinery at Daesan, Kim Sung Yong, a spokesman for the South Korean company, said by telephone.
The very large crude carrier, or VLCC, capable of carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil, is registered to Hong Kong- based Hebei Ocean Shipping Co., according to Bloomberg data.
About 11,000 metric tons (81,000 barrels) of crude oil was spilt after a crane on the barge crashed into the Hebei Spirit at 7:15 a.m. local time, Jeong Seon Mun, deputy director of the maritime safety information center at South Korea's Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Fisheries, said. The ship was anchored 5 miles (8 kilometers) northwest of the Taean peninsula at the time.
Oil is still spilling,'' Jeong said by telephone in Seoul. The police face difficulty in carrying out the operation because high waves make it hard to contain the spill.''
The Taean Coast Guard deployed 12 patrol boats and 3 accident control boats to contain the spill, Jeong said.
The tanker was carrying crude oil for Hyundai Oilbank Co.'s refinery at Daesan, Kim Sung Yong, a spokesman for the South Korean company, said by telephone.
The very large crude carrier, or VLCC, capable of carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil, is registered to Hong Kong- based Hebei Ocean Shipping Co., according to Bloomberg data.