UN Sends Team to Assess Impact of Korean Oil Spill

“Using chemicals to disperse spilled oil is a controversial issue. It is unavoidable to some extent, but should be carefully controlled,” said Vladimir Sakharov, chief of the UN’s UNEP/OCHA environmental unit at a press conference held at 5:00 p.m. yesterday at maritime police office in Taean County.

Taean is the site of the worst-ever oil spill in the history of South Korea, which occurred last week.

Sakharov is heading the team of environmental experts dispatched from the United Nations and the European Union to support Korea’s clean-up efforts.

The team visited the oil-coated coastal and offshore areas of Taean. The members looked fatigued after spending a day touring the affected area.

“The investigation has just kicked off and nothing is certain, but the use of chemicals on the shores of Taean County by the Korean government seems rational from an international perspective,” said Sakharov. “I have had in-depth discussions with government officials about the use of chemicals. There is no practical alternative to using oil dispersants at the current status of technological development.”

More and more international environmental relief aid is arriving in Taean.

One day before the arrival of the UN/EU team, a 4-member team from the U.S., three U.S. Coast Guard officers and a researcher from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration visited the affected areas, while marine ecology experts from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (AUB), Spain also arrived in Taean on Sunday to measure the extent of the damage.

“The damage seemed very serious on TV, but it appears under control here,” said Dr Louis Lemkow, professor of Environmental and Urban Sociology and Sociology of Health at the AUB.

The Spanish team visited the Taean County Office and the crisis headquarters of the marine police, along with the Environmental Research Center of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies to listen to presentations on the extent of damage and the clean-up efforts, and went to see the affected coastal areas.

More helping hands came from a variety of sources. Seven experts from the Japan Coast Guard also visited the affected areas on Sunday. China sent 56 tons of oil adsorbent and a vessel. EARL, a Singaporean oil spill response company, sent a C-130 airplane and 42 units of high pressure cleaning equipment.

Spain dispatched four senior researchers from the AUB and the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) on Friday to share their knowledge and experience from the Prestige oil spill in 2002. Dr. Antoni Rosell of ICTA, who led the investigation at that time, is giving advice on preventing the pollution from spreading. When the oil tanker Prestige loaded with 77,000 tons of heavy oil was caught in a storm in 2002, some 63,000 tons of oil leaked and polluted the northwest coast of Spain along a 1,900 km stretch.

The Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Northwest Pacific Region (NOWPAP) group has also joined the clean-up efforts.

The Chinese government sent two vessels carrying 65 tons of oil adsorbent and equipment on Saturday, and Japan dispatched an emergency response team of 7 experts with 40 tons of oil adsorbent. Russia also offered 40 tons of oil adsorbent, which Korea declined, saying it has secured enough stock.

EARL, which sent a sophisticated oil spill control aircraft, is a company funded by 34 private oil refineries from different countries. The aircraft will be stand-by to quickly respond to any further oil spills from the punctured oil tanker Hebei Spirit still staying at sea if the weather conditions get worse. This aircraft has been tasked with protecting Garorim Bay, Cheonsu Bay and Anmyeon Island south of Taean, which are home to migratory birds, large-scale seafood farms and popular beaches.

Some 20 oil spill experts from around the world held a conference attended by people from the South Korean Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs at Taean on Sunday and exchanged opinions on the current status and causes of the oil spill.