A patrol boat shoots dispersant to prevent the spread of an oil slick from a leaking tanker in the seas off Taean, South Chungcheong Province, after a barge collided with it, Friday. /Yonhap

By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter

About 10,810 tons of oil was spilled in the sea off Taean, South Chungcheong Province, Friday, following a collision between an oil tanker and a barge carrying a large crane.

The leak is the largest ever in Korea.

The 146,000-ton Hong Kong-registered tanker collided with the barge five miles off Taean at around 7:30 a.m., when a wire hawser connecting it to a tugboat broke.

The tanker's holds were ruptured, causing the oil spill. The leak was more than double the 5,000 tons spilled from the Sea Prince in July 1995, then the nation's worst oil leakage incident.

The Korea Coast Guard (KCG) is trying to contain the spread of the oil by setting up floating barrages with 30 patrol and private boats and helicopters, but is experiencing difficulty due to strong winds and high waves.

Maritime police expect it to take two to three days to remove the oil from the sea and warned residents that fumes from the spill could cause headaches and nausea.

They say considering the location and tidal current, it is not expected that the oil will wash up on the shoreline, and predicted damage to the coast would not be too severe.

However, police did admit that 5,600-hectares of sea farms in Taean could be polluted as could local mud flats in the area.

In 1995, the Sea Prince spilled 5,000 tons of crude oil and fuel oil on the seashore of Yeosu in South Jeolla Province. Some 230 kilometers of coastline from Yeosu to Pohang in North Gyeongsang Province were polluted causing 44.3 billion won worth of damage to sea farmers and fishermen. It took five months to remove the oil.

rahnita@koreatimes.co.kr