Oil Slick Reaches South Korean Shore

Worst spill in country's history threatens scenic coastline, maritime park

By Jane Yager, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 8, 2007 5:42 AM CST

(Newser) – Emergency workers in South Korea are struggling to contain a 12-mile-long oil slick that has reached an ecologically sensitive shoreline on the Korean west coast. The oil spilled when a barge broke loose from the tug that was pulling it, and slammed into a Hong Kong-registered supertanker. The spill threatens a national maritime park and a stopover for migrating birds; four miles of beach have already been affected, BBC reports.

Strong winds are frustrating South Korean coast guard efforts to control the slick with a boom and chemical dispersants. "We are worried about an ecological disaster," one maritime official said. The spill, South Korea's largest, is about one-fourth the size of the Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989.

A damaged Hong Kong-registered tanker floats, spilling oil following an accident off the Mallipo beach, South Korea, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2007. Some 2.7 million gallons of oil gushed Friday from a 146,000-ton... (Associated Press)

Local residents dump baskets full of removed crude oil spilled over beach into a flatable container in Mallipo, west of Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2007. Some 2.7 million gallons of oil gushed... (Associated Press)

A damaged Hong Kong-registered tanker afloats in the water while spilling oil following an accident off the Mallipo beach, South Korea, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2007. Some 2.7 million gallons of oil gushed Friday... (Associated Press)

Local residents use baskets to remove dense crude oil at the Mallipo beach, west of Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2007. Some 2.7 million gallons of oil gushed Friday from a 146,000-ton Hong Kong-registered... (Associated Press)

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Worst spill in country's history threatens scenic coastline, maritime park

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Korea Struggles to Clean Spill

Government declares state of disaster

Feds Indict Pilot in SF Oil Spill

Attorney vows to battle misdemeanors, calling them premature

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Case Bound for Supreme Court

Exxon has paid $3.5 billion over years, but claimants want 'closure'

Slow Response Slammed in SF Bay Oil Disaster

Cleanup lags as contamination sprawls, area residents try to rescue seabirds

Largest Oil Spill in US Seeps Under Brooklyn

Exxon owns up to a century of leaks and dumping over 55 acres

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