Thursday, September 27, 2001, updated at 10:46(GMT+8)
China
Oil Slick Expected to be Cleared Soon
Marine salvage workers from Xiamen city in east China's Fujian Province have extracted 1,200 tons of oil which spilled into the sea from a sunken oil tanker.
The oil tanker, laden with 8,600 tons of diesel, sank off Gulangyu near Xiamen City on September 20 after colliding with the Greek-registered container ship Edinburgha. All the 23 members of the tanker's crew have been saved.
Upon receiving an emergency signal, Chinese maritime safety authorities dispatched six salvage vessels to the site of the accident.
Two submarine pumps have been used to extract oil from the water. The two pumps can extract oil from an area of 120 cubic meters per hour. Working at such a pace, all the oil is expected to be extracted by the end of this month, according to a local official.
Marine salvage workers from Xiamen city in east China's Fujian Province have extracted 1,200 tons of oil which spilled into the sea from a sunken oil tanker.