Authorities clean up oil spill at Ulsan industrial complex, contaminated stream

Firefighters and factory workers carry out emergency containment work after an oil spill inside the Onsan National Industrial Complex in Ulsan on March 7. [ULSAN FIRE DEPARTMENT]

 
Crude oil spilled inside the Onsan National Industrial Complex in Ulsan and flowed into a nearby stream on Saturday. Firefighters and the Ulsan Coast Guard began emergency containment work.
 
The accident occurred on a road within the industrial complex in Onsan-eup, Ulju County, Ulsan, at about 5:10 p.m. on Saturday.
 

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The spill is believed to have occurred after an oil pipeline connected to a crude oil storage tank at a nearby factory was damaged for unknown reasons, allowing oil to leak out, according to Yonhap News Agency. The spilled oil flowed along the road and into a nearby stream. 
 
The total amount of leakage is estimated at approximately 200 liters (52 gallons).
 
Immediately after the accident, firefighters and factory workers shut off the pipeline valve before carrying out emergency containment work, including using oil-absorbing pads and vacuum trucks to remove the spilled oil, for more than three hours.
 

Firefighters and factory workers carry out emergency containment work after an oil spill inside the Onsan National Industrial Complex in Ulsan on March 7. [ULSAN FIRE DEPARTMENT]

 
The Ulsan Coast Guard blocked an outlet leading from the contaminated stream to the sea. It also installed fences in nearby waters to prevent the oil from entering marine areas.
 
Authorities will investigate the exact location of the leak and the cause of the pipeline damage after the cleanup operation is completed.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]