Chinese authorities launch clean-up operation to tackle 50 sq km slick following explosion of two crude oil pipelines in DalianChinese authorities have closed a major oil terminal and dispatched a flotilla of dispersal vessels to tackle a 50 square kilometre slick of crude that was released after a pipeline explosion near Dalian.Amid fears that the spill could contaminate local beaches, maritime safety officials have also put in place a 9km long floating boom to try to keep the seepage from coastal waters near China's largest deep-water port.The oil started to leak into the sea late on Friday night when a pipe conveying crude oil from a Liberian ship to a storage tank combusted and sparked a second explosion at another pipeline at Dalian Xingang oil port.About 2,000 firefighters were dispatched from the city and neighbouring areas to tackle the blaze, which was eventually brought under control after 15 hours.The Dalian authorities have dispatched 20 vessels to spray dispersal agents on the slick and to soak up oil with panels of absorbent felt.No casualties were reported, but China National Petroleum Corporation - the country's biggest oil firm - closed the port and its subsidiary, PetroChina, has reduced output at a nearby refinery.Although the valves have been shut and the leak has been stemmed, the environmental impact of the oil is still being felt.Local media have run pictures showing black water near the scene of the accident and murky brown slicks snaking further out to sea. Fishermen are concerned that their catches - which are already sharply reduced due to over-fishing in recent years - may be affected.Considerably smaller in scale than the BP leak in the Gulf of Mexico, the clean-up operation at Dalian is estimated to take just a week.But the consequences are likely to linger far longer. Zhao Zhangyuan, of the China Research Academy of Environment Sciences estimated the ecological damage would take 10 years to repair."It is not possible to complete ...

less than 54 day(s) - Monday July,19 2010 @ 12:48 PM
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