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 Workers relocate an oil obstruction belt which was washed ashore in Dalian bay, Liaoning province, last Thursday. Ma Yidong / for China Daily
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A week after the oil pipeline explosion on the Dalian coast, ocean cleanup efforts are making real progress. Zhang Xiaomin and Li Jing report in Dalian.
Li Jie, 25, did not hesitate to cut her 40-centimeter long hair short and donate the clippings for the cleanup efforts in Dalian.
On July 24, one week after a massive explosion of an oil pipeline in the port city, Li's hair was spun into a 300-meter long oil boom, which was placed at Fujiazhuang beach, south of the city, to absorb the oil slick and prevent it from polluting the beach.
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So when she learned that the Dalian Environmental Protection Volunteers Association (DEPVA) was collecting hair to create oil-absorbing booms, Li was determined to say goodbye to the long hair she has grown continuously for more than three years.
She and others who live nearby are trying to make the best of the situation.
"When accidents happen, complaints and rumors only make things worse," she said.
On July 16, an explosion hit an oil pipeline and triggered an adjacent smaller pipeline to explode at an oil storage depot belonging to China National Petroleum Corp in Dalian Xingang Port.
By July 26, the majority of the heavy crude that gushed into the sea has been cleaned, and workers have prevented the contamination from reaching international waters or the Bohai Bay, according to Dalian vice mayor Dai Yulin.
The cleanup has involved 266 oil-skimming vessels and 8,150 fishing boats. Also, maritime agencies and oil companies have laid down more than 40,000 meters of oil barriers and 65 tons of oil-absorbent mats.
Two fishermen stand by barrels containing oil they have collected from the sea in the 10 days after two crude oil pipelines exploded at Dalian's Xingang port. The oil will be recycled. Zheng Yue / Xinhua |
About 2,000 volunteers, including college students, workers, and even elderly people and children, joined the hair-for-oil campaign, donating about 430 kg of oil-absorbing materials such as hair and pet fur, stuffing it into 1,000 pairs of pantyhose.
"We learned the method from the US-based nonprofit group Matter of Trust, which is deploying hair booms in the Gulf of Mexico," said Tang Zailin, office head of the association.
According to Tang, the boom was picked up the next day as there were few oil slicks along the Fujiazhuang beach. The boom will be cleaned and placed on other beaches, he said.
Businesses helping too
Some local enterprises also volunteered to help. On July 24, Dalian Ailun Bakery organized about 100 workers who were off duty that day to clean up oil at a cove five kilometers away from their company in the city's Ganjingzi district.
A man who declined to give his name said their boss encouraged them to clean the sea. "The sea near our home is polluted. We should do what we can to help clean it," he said.
At Boshi Bay, a popular beach in the city's economic development zone, bulldozers were busy carrying away the oil-soaked straw mattresses.
Liang Yanlun, 25, and his friend were taking a rest after a busy morning helping to load oil into barrels, with oil stains still left on their backs and limbs.
A worker at a nearby blade company, Liang was taking a day off that day. Despite the oil cleaning work that had been underway for several days, Liang found a small bay that was still covered with an oil slick brought ashore by the waves. So he decided to do something himself.
"I come here to swim every summer, so it's a pity that the beach is contaminated. If our efforts can help clean up the oil as soon as possible, it will be worthwhile," Liang said. That morning, they loaded eight barrels of oil.
Although a warning sign reads "oil cleaning underway; please keep off the beach", some local people still tried to spend some weekend leisure time there, sitting only inches away from the oil-covered pebbles, watching the sea water that was still covered with oil. A strong smell of oil still lingered in the air.
Local fishermen also played a crucial role in curbing the spread of the oil slick. Fishermen said they have been told by government officials that they will receive 300 yuan for each barrel of oil they collect. The estimated volume of each barrel is more than 50 kg.
At a bay near Jinwan Bridge at Jinshitan, or the Golden Pebble Beach, a popular seaside resort, hundreds of barrels of oil were placed in a row, waiting their turn to be examined and counted by the staff from the emergency coordinating office.
Trucks were also waiting in line to transport the barrels away to Dalian Petro Chemical for further processing, according to the truck drivers.
Drivers of vehicles with "environment monitoring" signs painted on them, and several police officers were at scene, but refused to talk to a China Daily reporter.
Liu Changjun, a 53-year-old mariculturist, said his family started to collect oil on July 21, and their two fishing boats can fetch about 20 or 30 barrels a day.
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 A worker burns oil on a rock as part of cleanup efforts.Ma Yidong / for China Daily
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"Some families with more fishing boats have collected as much as 70 barrels a day," Liu said.
"This might be the worst job ever for anyone, but we all tried our best (to clean up)," said Liu. "No one wanted this accident to happen."
Liu said his 6.67 hectares mariculture field - which nurtures seaweed and shellfish - has been contaminated.
Some larger-scale mariculture companies have been affected by the accident, as well.
Ma Jiaqing, office director at Wangdong Marine Products, told China Daily that the company's 233 hectares field is near the port where the blast happened.
"We started mariculture there in 1993, and the lease term for the 233 hectares seabed is for 80 years. The products include abalone, sea cucumber, and so on," Ma said.
Although he refused to talk about his economic losses from this accident, he emphasized that he believes the government can bring about a satisfying result.
"The current priority is still cleaning up the oil slick. It's not yet the best time to talk about compensation and future plans," he said.
Returning to normal
Dalian is usually popular in the summer for its beaches and good seafood. Some beaches less impacted by the oil spill have started to return to normal.
At Bangchuidao, nine kilometers away from downtown Dalian, travelers from all over China were enjoying sunshine on the beach when a China Daily reporter arrived on July 25. No traces of the oil were found either in the water or on shore.
Fujiazhuang, a favorite beach of the locals for its 550-meter-long stretch of golden sand, was crowded with swimmers and tents that same day. Some foreign visitors were also enjoying themselves playing beach volleyball.
But at Jinshitan, about 16 kilometers northeast of the Xingang port, where the accident happened, the oil slick has washed ashore. Cleaners were trying to catch the oil with straw mattresses.
"The oil slick was brought here by the wind. We have to rely on manual work to clear it away. These straw mattresses are very useful tools," said the manager at Jinshi Bathing Beach surnamed Sun.
Sun said the number of visitors have significantly dropped since the accident, but that he expects people to come back very soon because the cleaning is "almost done."
Nobody was swimming, but some visitors who waded in the seawater later found their feet and legs smeared with oil stains.
The beach managing team provided a free cleansing service with degreaser for visitors. About 10 people were queuing for cleansing.
Although Dalian area residents are distraught over the oil spill, they have found a measure of unity as they work together for the sake of their treasured beaches.
"We all need to do something," said Li Jie, fresh from her dramatic haircut. "My hair can grow long again, but the pollution won't wait."
