China Oil Spill: Cleanup Measures Undertaken

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DALIAN, CHINA (GaeaTimes.com)- Chinese authorities are keeping no stones unturned to control the oil spill that was sparked off in the Yellow Sea port of Dalian along the Liaoning province of northeast China. Fishing boats as well as dozens of vessels have been mobilized in the area to bring the oil spill situation under control before it can cause any kind of environmental disaster in any way. The oil spill in China took place on Friday following two pipeline explosion at an oil storage depot that caused a huge blaze that continued throughout the weekend.

Since the oil leak took place about six days ago, reports suggest that the slick has spread across 165 square miles of sea water. Despite the fact that the state media has reported that no more oil is spilling into the sea, any details about the total amount of oil that has overflowed into the sea in China is not clear as yet. Large number of oil skimming vessels and an estimated 23 tonnes of oil-eating bacteria are being utilized to eradicate the slick while hundreds of soldiers as well as people inhabiting the nearby areas have assisting in the cleanup process. It has been reported that a firefighter who was involved in the clean-up process lost his life on Tuesday after he was drowned in the ocean when he was pushed by the huge waves.

Meanwhile, workers involved in the cleanup operations have expressed concern that the strong winds and the torrential rains that the region has been witnessing for some time now, might make the cleanup initiatives to counter the oil spill in China quite difficult.