Worst Oil Spill > 영어토론방

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Last week's oil spill shows how such disasters wreak havoc on the environment. It took place Friday morning when the Hong Kong-registered Hebei Spirit, a 146,000-ton tanker, collided with an 11,800-ton barge off Taean, South Chungcheong Province. The collision caused about 10,500 tons of oil to leak into the waters of the West Sea.

Experts came up with a rough estimate of 300 billion won ($330 million) in damage to the oil tanker, tourist businesses and oyster and abalone farming in the ecologically pristine Taean County, in which there are 5,600 hectares of fish farms. The figure could rise further if the oil slick reaches more areas and the cleanup and damage control work is subject to delay. More than 90 vessels and six helicopters were dispatched to the affected areas and over 6,650 soldiers and police are working to block the spread of oil.

Fishermen, vendors, environmentalists and residents harshly criticize the authorities for the disaster, claiming that the accident could have been prevented if they had taken appropriate steps. Outdated disaster control measures are also to blame for damage to beaches and fish farms. Many fishermen complain that their farms were totally destroyed by the oil slick, while store and restaurant owners are concerned about the loss of business due to the blackened beaches.

It is regrettable that the accident occurred apparently due to communication problems between the oil tanker, the barge and the regional maritime affairs and fisheries office. The office tried to make radio contact with the barge carrying the crane twice, just two hours before the accident, to warn that it was too close to the tanker. But it failed to do so. The office and Samsung Heavy Industries Co., the owner of the barge, blamed each other for the failure.

Another problem is that the authorities have failed to take timely and appropriate action to prevent the spread of the leaked oil. Thus, disaster control officials could not prevent oil from reaching beaches and fish farms. One day after the accident, the central government declared a state of disaster in the affected areas. It could take more than a decade to restore the destroyed areas.

Question
1. Have you ever heard about this article? How did you feel?
2. What is the problem of before and after this accident?
3. Through this case, we can realize the significance of environment.
What problems do we have about environment international or national?
4. How can we keep our environment? (Talk about freely in the aspect of country, business, and an individual)

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