Experts Call for Better Readiness for Oil SpillsChina must be better prepared for possible major oil spills at sea as a result of a dramatic increase of oil imports, China Classification Society President Li Kejun said last month.Lacking experience in taking action against oil tanker disasters, the central government should pay more attention to co-ordinating various departments to respond to such an event. The country should also spend money to develop oil-spill prevention and treatment equipment, including tools to communicate, monitor and inspect, said Li, whose group monitors shipping issues. Oil spill accidents on the China seas have been long ignored by the public because they've been of a small scale. China's 78 million tons of oil imported by sea last year are a tiny fraction of that imported by the United States and Japan, the world's largest importers. So far, China has seen no major accidents as shocking as 14,000-ton Erika spill off the French coast or the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster, which dumped 40,000 tons of oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound. But China is not immune to oil accidents.About 200 have occurred in the past 30 years in Chinese waters, including 38 last year. More than 30,000 tons of oil were dumped into the seas during those three decades. The largest accident occurred in March 1999, when two oil tankers collided on the Pearl River in South China's Guangdong, spilling about 600 tons of crude oil. The black substance spread out along the river into the sea, forming a 10 to 30 centimetre oil layer on 300 kilometres of river and touching 55 kilometres of coastal line. The beach and hundreds of square metres of fishery were severely polluted. As the national economy keeps booming, the demand of oil will accelerate. Domestic crude mines are becoming depleted, so imports will surge, Li said. Experts predicted that the amount of crude oil shipped to China will rise to 100 million tons by the end of 2003. The country's oil demand is expected to then triple in 2010 to 300 million tons, half of which will be imported by sea, analysts say. To enhance the country's ability to deal with oil spill accidents, the Ministry of Communications and the State Environmental Protection Administration jointly initiated two contingency plans in March last year. The schemes were drafted to fit China's Law of the Maritime Environmental Protection and the International Maritime Organization's International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation. After the launch of the two schemes, joint manoeuvres in dealing with oil spill at sea have been held in port cities such as Dalian and Tianjin. The largest-ever drill was jointly held by Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Zhuhai in June last year in the mouth of the Pearl River. Two helicopters, more than 50 ships and a thousand people have taken parts. "Various institutions, including even the tourist and fishing departments, have joined the efforts,'' said E Hailiang, an official with the State Maritime Bureau. But he admitted that more work needs to be done. "The contingency schemes should be released by the State Council to better co-ordinate various governmental departments,'' he said. He added that it will be a waste of money if the State Maritime Bureau, the State Oceanographic Administration and the State Environmental Protection Administration each build up their own systems to prevent oil pollutions at sea. Source: chinadaily.com.cn |
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