Students and teachers of Vietnam Saigon South International School clean up the oil on the rocks of Cheollipo Beach in Taean, South Chungcheong Province, Monday. The members visited the area to volunteer through Friday. / Korea Times Photo by Kim Joo-sung

By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

An estimate by the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF) on the cost of damage caused by the nation's worst oil spill off Taean, South Chungcheong Province has provoked anger among residents of the area.
The IOPCF estimated the damage at 424 billion won ($450 million), far less than the trillions of won of losses projected by the residents. They are rejecting the announcement and calling for a reevaluation.

The organization's estimate breaks down to 110 billion won for the clean-up, 170 billion won to revive fisheries and 72-144 billion won for tourism and others.

The organization said the figure was based on the residents' income reported to the government, but some of the data was omitted and was hard to ascertain.

On Dec. 7, 2007, about 10,500 tons of crude oil were spilled in seas off Taean after a Samsung owned barge collided with the anchored Heibei Spirit oil tanker carrying Hyundai Oil Bank oil in bad weather.

The spill almost destroyed the ecologically pristine region as well as damaging the southwestern coastline. It also ruined about 500 abalone and oyster farms.

The government said it was satisfied with the report saying it indicated how much was required to restore the area. Additional costs will be covered by the government, and the ship and barge owners if they are found guilty of negligence and slapped with fines

Meanwhile, the residents of Taean were angered by the report that is to be announced in Monaco today. They said they themselves haven't come up with an exact estimate and that the IOPCF's figure must have omitted many people.

``For tourism, you need years to attract tourists back. In the summer the oil underneath the sand will surface, creating a bad smell and force people away. I wonder whether the IOPCF is aware of that. Do they know when exactly we will get our tourists back?'' Lee Yong-hee, a representative of the residents, said.

``I went to the oyster farm yesterday and found nothing alive. I do not know when we will be able to resume farming,'' Lee Won-jae, a fisherman, said.

Even the local government is dissatisfied. ``We have not yet figured out the exact cost of the damage to the fishery industries in the region. How did they come up with the figure?'' a county office staff member said. ``It is unacceptable for the residents,'' he added.

A spokesman for the owners of the Heibei Spirit would not comment on any damage estimates they have made.

Samsung Heavy Industries, the barge owner, has offered a 100 billion won to those affected by the oil spill, to be managed by an outside agency designated by the government and separate from official compensation to be paid by insurance companies.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr