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MT Hebei Spirit
KoreaSubject | US experts aid S. Korean efforts to tackle oil spill |
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Posting Date | 2007-Dec-15 |
Dec 14, 2007 US experts aid S. Korean efforts to tackle oil spill The team of US Coast Guard experts arrived in South Korea on Thursday as hundreds of vessels struggled to contain the disastrous spill. -- PHOTO: REUTERS SOUTH KOREA - US oil spill specialists began aiding a massive sea and land battle on Friday to contain and clear away up to 66,000 barrels of crude oil in South Korea's worst coastal pollution crisis. The team of US Coast Guard experts arrived in South Korea on Thursday as hundreds of vessels struggled to contain the disastrous spill. An expert from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also arrived on Thursday to assist. The oil spilled from a supertanker on Dec 7 off the west coast, polluting hundreds of seafood farms and turning scenic beaches black. The National Emergency Management Agency said the spill has so far contaminated 167 kilometers of coast in Taean County, about 150 kilometers south-west of Seoul. http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest+News/Asia/STIStory_186778.html The agency said 339 seafood farms have been hit and an additional 220 farms were expected to be affected. On Thursday, about 220 ships, including Coast Guard, navy and private fishing boats, and 14 helicopters battled strong winds and high waves to contain the slick, the Coast Guard said. On shore, more than 21,000 troops, public officials, residents and volunteers worked in clean up efforts, it said. 'We're continuing the operation at night, mobilising ships equipped with searchlights,' said Lee Won Yol, a Coast Guard official in Taean. 'But the weather is not good. Winds are strong and waves are high.' The accident happened when a barge carrying a crane lost control and slammed into the supertanker Hebei Spirit, causing it to gush oil. -- AP