Not Only in the Gulf

In this photo released by Greenpeace, a firefighter who was submerged in thick oil during an attempt to fix an underwater pump is brought ashore by his colleagues in Dalian, China on Tuesday.

Growing China oil spill threatens sea life, water

China's largest reported oil spill had more than doubled by Wednesday, closing beaches on the Yellow Sea and prompting an environmental official to warn the sticky black crude posed a "severe threat" to sea life and water quality.

Some workers trying to clean up the inky beaches wore little more than rubber gloves, complicating efforts, one official said.

China Central Television reported that 400,000 gallons of thick crude have spilled since a pipeline ruptured in Dalian. The slick covers over 165 square miles, and is washing ashore on beaches around the Yellow Sea. Unlike the US, China does not have adequate equipment or technology to deal with the spill

"We don't have proper oil cleanup materials, so our workers are wearing rubber gloves and using chopsticks," an official with the Jinshitan Golden Beach Administration Committee told the Beijing Youth Daily newspaper in apparent exasperation. "This kind of inefficiency means the oil will keep coming to shore. ... This stretch of oil is really difficult to clean up in the short term."

The pipeline that ruptured was at a port on the Yellow Sea, and did not involve any drilling activity. However, according to Offshore Magazine (July, 2010), there are a total of 121 deepwater rigs. With the rising middle class in China and India using more and more energy the need for exploration and drilling will only increase.
How will these developing countries cope with the increased number of spills and accidents? Will they be able to adequately respond to any problems? If this article is any indication, there is reason to believe that the environment is at risk, because poorer countries don't have access to the technologies that they need. And as we know since the BP-Deepwater Horizon blowup, even technology can't save us every time.