China oil spill put at 400 tonnes, maritime agency says clean-up ongoing

‘Emergency disposal work is being carried out in an orderly manner,’ Shandong Maritime Safety Administration says

Incident had ‘ no impact on ships entering and leaving Qingdao port’, it says

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Fishing boats are seen off the coast of Qingdao, following an oil spill in the Yellow Sea. Photo: Reuters

Published: 5:38pm, 29 Apr 2021Updated: 7:28pm, 29 Apr 2021

About 400 tonnes of oil spilled into the Yellow Sea after a tanker was hit by another ship off China’s largest crude-receiving port on Tuesday, maritime authorities said on Thursday.

“The amount of oil spilled from the ship into the sea is about 400 tonnes and the emergency disposal work is being carried out in an orderly manner,” the Shandong Maritime Safety Administration on social media.

“The incident has had no impact on ships entering and leaving Qingdao port,” it said.

An official from the the safety agency said earlier and on condition of anonymity that a preliminary study estimated about 500 tonnes of oil had been spilled into the sea.

A total of 12 decontamination vessels had been deployed to clean up the spill, which happened about 40 nautical miles offshore from Qingdao port in northeast China, the administration said.

The maritime safety administration says the incident has had no impact on ships entering or leaving Qingdao port. Photo: Reuters

Panamanian bulk carrier Sea Justice struck the Liberian oil tanker A Symphony at about 9am on Tuesday, causing the tanker to lose “a quantity of oil”, according to a previous statement from vessel managers Goodwood Ship Management.