Officials say that an oil spill from a ship off the northeastern coast of Taiwan has not spread to other areas. That’s the word from Liu Jui-hsiang, the deputy head of the Water Protection Agency.
The container vessel, TS Taipei, ran aground off Shimen Township on Taiwan’s northern coast on March 10. The ship has since cracked and split in two. Most of the oil on board has already been pumped out.
When asked about the newly found signs of oil in areas off the Jinshan coast, Liu said those small patches do not signify that the spill has spread.
“The oil residue is not a serious heavy oil, it simply follows the ocean currents, drifting to different areas," said Liu.
"When the wind and waves are strong enough, they drift out into the open sea and we won’t see them," he said. "In the past two days the waves have gotten smaller, and the residue has drifted into Kuangkang harbor. The small patches of oil we found are not a sign of the spill spreading. They are simply the remainder of the original oil spill drifting to other areas.”
Liu said that the environmental protection administration has sent out unmanned drones to monitor the area for signs that the oil spill may have spread.