By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Full recovery of the marine ecological system from the nation's worst oil spill at Taean, South Chungcheong Province, will need at least 12 years, a marine expert said Monday.
Prof. Lee Jae-hak, director of the Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute, said because the West Sea is blocked on west, east and north side, the current circulation is not fast enough and it may take more than 12 years to make a full recovery. He also said that the coast of China could be affected.
Although visible oil may seem to be contained, the aftermath of the contamination will destroy the environment and ecological system, experts said.
The oil that soaked into the sand, pebbles and tidal land will remain without being dissolved and will seep out occasionally. Also, oil left inside the sea will kill plankton, fish eggs and microscopic creatures first. When these die off, the food chain will be disrupted.
Prof. Kim Sang-jin, another professor of the institute, said in the sea off Yeosu in Jeolla Province, where the Sea Prince spilled 5,000 tons of crude and fuel oil back in 1995, oil can still be found stuck on seashells and in the sand. He said due to the spill, the amount of seaweed decreased as did the fish and shellfish eating it.
``The sea off Alaska where the Exxon Valdez leaked oil in 1989 is still reported to be contaminated with oil, and Taean will be no exception,'' he added.
At the moment, alongside the 40 kilometer-seashore of Taean, there is an oil slick 10-30 meters in width. The government said a mere 5 percent of the 10,500 tons of leaked oil has been contained.
The beaches are covered by the oil slick and cormorants, grebes and other birds and creatures are being found dead after being suffocated by it. More than 440 oyster and abalone farms have reportedly lost all their products and migratory birds that visit the area will be affected by the contamination, too, experts said.
Natural Treasure No. 431, Shinduri Dune, was saturated and environmental activists fear that Taean Seashore National Park, one of the world's five largest tidal lands, may be destroyed.
Also, another concern is the use of emulsifier. The government has already used more than 34,000 liters of it out at sea, and though it dissolves the oil into smaller particles, it kills seaweed and causes whitening, Choi Ye-yong of the Korean Federation for Environmental Movements said.