Oil spill in South Korea: reports from the scene

A total of 2,100 hectares of marine farms, and six beaches covering a
221-hectare area, have been hit by the oil leak, the Ministry of Marine
and Fisheries said.
Nearly 20 of the 150 kilometers of coastline in Taean County have been affected by the spill, the ministry added.

A Hong Kong-registered giant tanker leaked an estimated 10,500 tons of
crude oil into the waters on Friday morning after it collided with a
barge carrying a crane. This occurred 90 kilometers southwest of Seoul.
Government officials suspect that, while the barge was anchored
by another vessel, a tow wire was cut due to the strong winds and high
waves.
This oil spill is about twice the size of the one in 1995, when a
tanker struck a reef off the south coast, spilling 5035 tons of oil.

There are sea birds wholly covered in oil, unable to move their wings, with only their beaks gasping open, looking around as if for help.

There are sights of dead birds all around.

The marine farms have also been dealt a heavy blow. The mudflats are covered in black sludge and have become deadly for the marine life below.  Most of the marine life--clams, crabs, sea-cucumbers for harvesting--will not survive their fight against the black oil tides.

A local fisherman says, "How could they survive? In an oil-slick like this? Nothing can survive this!"

The oil sludge covered stretches and stretches of tidelands, making it near-impossible for volunteers and local residents to do their clean-up efforts.

"This is our livelihood. It's how we feed ourselves and educate our children. Now with this, how can we go on? How can we continue?" says a local.

Despite their shock and despair, thousands of local residents and volunteers continue night and day to clean-up the oil.

온통 기름을 뒤집어 쓴 뿔논병아리가 꼼짝도 못합니다.
움직일 수조차 없는 새는 긴급히 구조를 요청이라도 하듯 긴 입을 벌리며 주위를 살핍니다.
이미 죽은 겨울철새도 곳곳에 눈에 띕니다.
키조개 등 어패류의 집단폐사도 잇따르고 있습니다.

온통 시커먼 기름을 뒤집어 쓴 이곳 갯벌은 도저히 생물이 살아갈 수 없을 만큼 참혹한 땅으로 변했습니다. 아직 숨이 붙어있는 돌게들은 기름덩이 속에서 사투를 벌입니다. 갯벌 위로 솟아오른 맛조개는 이미 폐사했습니다. 시커먼 물 속에서도 해삼은 아직 생명을 이어가고 있습니다.

[어민 : 살겠어요? 이렇게 기름 속에서. 다 죽죠. 전복이고 해삼이고. 하나도 없어요. 다 죽죠.]

갯바위 곳곳에 생긴 웅덩이는 기름이 가득차 걷기 조차 힘듭니다.
[어민 : 이거 해서 먹고 가족 살고 아이들 공부시키고 다 하던건데, 이거 이렇게 하고 나니까 갈 길이 없는거야. 어떻게 할꺼야.] 주민들은 절망 속에서도 기름을 퍼내기 위해 안간힘을 씁니다.

Investigators suspect that the towing vessel failed to get warnings
from the control tower to avoid the supertanker, due to a
communications breakdown.

Samsung Heavy Industries dispatched hundreds of its employees
to the affected area to support clean-up efforts. The incident is yet
another blow to Samsung Group, which is under investigation regarding a
high-profile slush fund scandal, pundits said.

The company said that compensation will be paid by an insurance
company for the barge, and from the International Oil Pollution
Compensation Funds, an intergovernmental organization which provides
compensation for damage caused by oil spills.