China to Adopt Measures to Tackle Oil Spills

China is expected to adopt a package of emergency measures to address oil leakage at sea as of April 1 this year, China Daily reports today.

The draft of the regulation has already been endorsed by related governmental departments, according to sources with the State Maritime Safety Administration.

The package, which is expected to come out on April 1 when the country's amended Marine Environmental Protection Law comes into effect, handles maritime oil spill of Chinese ships and oil leaks in China's northern, eastern, southern sea areas and the Taiwan Straits.

The measures will establish a new method of securing funds needed for rescue and clean up, outline a compulsory insurance plan for ship owners against oil leaks, and require cargo owners to set up a special foundation to tackle such accidents. In the past 20 years, China has seen 39 large oil leaking accidents in its sea areas, with 22,922 tons of oil spilt into the sea.

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