Oil spill leaves 10-km trails on central Vietnam beach

By Bui Toan   April 1, 2023 | 04:29 am PT
Oil spill leaves 10-km trails on central Vietnam beach
Trails of oil spill are found on a beach of Phu Yen. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Nguyet
Trails of oil spills have stretched around 10 km of a beach in Phu Yen's Tuy Hoa Town, suspected to have originated from a vessel offshore.

Border guards of Tuy Hoa on Friday, along with the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment and local authorities, acknowledged the oil spills appearing along the beach. After a check revealed that no vessels in Phu Yen were leaked or sunk, authorities said the oil spills might have come from an offshore vessel as it passed by Tuy Hoa.

Previously, locals found the oil trails being washed onto the shore, giving off pungent smells. The oil trails are not evenly distributed and span around 10 km. Small, circular objects resembling coins, 2 mm thick and with a diameter of 1-1.5 cm, could be found within the trails.

Border guards of Tuy Hoa said it was the first time that such an incident happened in the area. Previous cases of sinking vessels only resulted in a small area.

Nguyen Cong Thanh, deputy chairman of the Tuy Hoa People's Committee, said the city has requested its environment department and other relevant authorities to resolve the problem, preventing the oil from affecting the marine ecosystem.

Video footage of oil trails along a beach in Phu Yen's Tuy Hoa Town. Video by VnExpress/Bui Nguyet

 
 
go to top