Some 400 tons of oil spilled in the Yellow Sea after the collision between an oil tanker and a bulk carrier off the Chinese port of Qingdao (East), maritime authorities announced Thursday (April 29th).
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The
Liberian-flagged
tanker "
A Symphony
" collided with the bulk carrier "
Sea Justice
"
on Tuesday morning
, which sails under the Panama flag, about 75 km off Qingdao, China's first port for hydrocarbons. . According to a statement from the Maritime Safety Administration of Shandong Province, which Qingdao depends on, "
the amount of oil spilled at sea is around 400 tons and emergency clean-up operations are proceeding in good order
." The press release specifies that 12 pollution control vessels were sent to the site.
According to an official of the same administration quoted by the Chinese daily Global Times, the tanker is transporting a "
bituminous solution
".
"
The impact on the environment will be reduced to a minimum,
" said the official to the newspaper.
The tanker's management company, Goodwood Ship Management, said on Tuesday that clean-up operations were complicated by a lack of visibility in the area.
The Singapore-based company said Thursday it was cooperating with Chinese authorities in the investigation into the origins of the crash.
The collision caused a leak in the tanks of the tanker and in the water ballasts which are used to balance it, according to Goodwood, but no casualties are to be deplored on board.
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