Cleanup completed on freighter fuel oil spill

Shanghai's maritime authority has cleaned up the fuel oil that spilled at the mouth of the Yangtze River after two cargo ships collided on March 19, the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration said Monday.

A British freighter, the CMA CGM FLORIDA, collided with a Panamanian vessel about 124 nautical miles from the mouth of the Yangtze River at 2:15 am, according to a press release from the administration. The British ship was carrying 76 containers of hazardous materials and 5,000 tons of fuel oil.

The collision severely damaged two of the freighter's cabins, causing the fuel leak. As of 10 am Wednesday, the fuel has spilled over 90,000 square meters of the sea, according to the press release. The administration did not disclose how much of the ship's fuel ended up in the water.

The administration dispatched seven vessels and a rescue airplane to assist the freighter and clean up the fuel spill.

Because the ship's cargo had the potential to explode, the maritime authority asked the freighter to anchor far from the coast for safety reasons, said an official surnamed Pan with the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration.

However, the administration changed its mind after the weather shifted and the freighter was in danger of splitting apart. It asked the ship to sail into Yangshan Port in Shanghai Sunday, the press release said. Several of its containers had been damaged and could have fallen overboard.

The British freighter was expected to dock Tuesday morning so it could unload its cargo and remaining fuel, Pan said.