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Bad weather hampered efforts to clean up the oil slick caused by a disastrous spill off the coast of Taean in South Chuncheong Province. A wave warning was issued for the central Western Sea at on Thursday. The disaster site experienced strong winds moving at 10-14 mps and high waves 2-4 m on Thursday. Disaster workers and residents worry about strong winds moving the oil slick south to Ahnmyeon Island.
Nine Coast Guard vessels were forced to halt cleanup work and only 120 civilian ships were mobilized, down 40 vessels from the previous day.
The Government said it will give up to W300 billion (US$1=W925) to victims of the oil disaster in soft loans, and the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives will delay the repayment of loans for victims. A U.S. expert team to help the cleanup efforts arrived in Korea on Thursday. According to the Foreign Ministry, the team consisting of three anti-pollution experts from the U.S. Coast Guard and one oceanic ecologist will check the situation and devise relief measures. An airplane dispatched by the Singapore-based East Asia Response Ltd. will also arrive in Korea Friday and join the cleanup efforts for six days.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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