Environment

Anchored tanker blamed for oil catastrophy

According to South Korean maritime police, the anchored tanker Hebei Spirit did not take necessary actions to avoid the collision with a crane-carrying barge that led to a spill of 10,500 tons of crude southwest of Seoul on December 7.

Choi Sang-hwan, chief of Taean maritime police says to Yonhap News Agency that the tugboats towing the barge were sailing two miles away from the tanker when heavy seas drifted them towards the tanker. The Hebei Spirit was warned by the VTS in Daesen and asked to move away. The Hebei Spirit acknowledged, but was still in the same position about half an hour later.
Ten minutes before the accident, the towing cable broke and the barge collided with the tanker, ripping up three tanks.
The 269,605-DWT Hebei Spirit flies the Hong Kong flag. The single-hull tanker was built by Kawasaki in 1993.

Written: 2007-12-19 14.25.18
Editor: Rolf P. Nilsson