current events 2

By Nam Hyun-woo Criticism stirred against GS Caltex, an oil-refiner using the pipelines which ruptured and spilled a massive amount of oil into the South Sea Friday, for apparently trying to downsize the extent of the accident.The Coast Guard said Monday some 164,000 liters of crude oil was spilled into the waters off the southwestern port city of Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, after a crash between an oil tanker and three floating bridges supporting pipelines connected to a pier in the city. The amount of spilled oil was some 200-fold larger than the oil refiner’s earlier estimation that 800 liters of oil had escaped.“The crash destroyed three out of six supporting bridges and sank three pipelines connected to a petroleum refining facility. Due to ruptures in the pipelines, some 164,000 liters of crude oil and naphtha are estimated be spilled into the ocean,” said Kim Sang-bae, chief of Yeosu Coast Guard.With the Coast Guard’s official estimation about the amount of oil spilled, GS Caltex faces suspicions that it tried to downsize the amount of oil spilled. The company said the 800-liter estimate was calculated based on the capacity of the pipelines, but critics point out that 800 liters is the amount contained in just four drums, so it seemed unreasonable to think that relatively small amount could contaminate some 10 square kilometers of waters.Also, the company reported the accident to the Coast Guard at 10:05 a.m., 30 minutes after they observed the accident. The Coast Guard suspects the vessel was going too fast when it caused the spill.“The accident was caused by the excessive acceleration of the tanker which sailed at 7 knots while berthing the pier,” said Kim. Usually 2 to 3 knots are regarded as a safe speed for an oil tanker approaching piers.The Coast Guard said it has launched an investigation into the crew members of the vessel, the navigators and GS Caltex.GS Caltex said navigators on board the ship have admitted their error to the Coast Guard, but one of the navigators, a veteran with 23 years of experience, reportedly claimed that he did nothing unusual.According to the oil-refiner, the Singapore-registered ship, named Wutisan, left England in December and arrived in the waters off the city’s coast on Friday. Two Korean navigators boarded Wutisan to berth it safely. The Coast Guard said the ship veered some 30 degrees to the left at the 150-meter point from the pier and suddenly accelerated. The ship’s crew dropped anchor as part of an effort to lower its speed but crashed into the bridges at 9:35 a.m.Some 200 boats have been deployed to the accident site to contain the contamination. About 1,000 civil servants, nearby residents and Coast Guard officers were also dispatched to clean up the spill. The spill is expected to affect 10 square kilometers of water around the accident site. A number of slicks were observed in waters off Namhae, South Gyeongsang Province. The Coast Guard estimated it will take about one or two weeks to clean up the spills. namhw@ktimes.co.kr, -------------------------------------------------------- On January 31, there was an accident in south sea in South Korea. The Coast Guard said Monday some 164,000 liters of crude oil was spilled into the waters off the southwestern port city of Yeosu. The accident was caused by the excessive acceleration of the tanker which sailed at 7 knots while berthing the pier,” said Kim.A number of slicks were observed in waters off Namhae, South Gyeongsang Province. The Coast Guard estimated it will take about one or two weeks to clean up the spills.