One of China's biggest ports, Dalian, shut on Jul 19 after a pipeline explosion triggered a major offshore oil spill, forcing a refinery to cut processing and importers to divert cargoes elsewhere.
The fire began on Jul 19 while a crude oil tanker was being off loaded.
Nobody was hurt, but hundreds of firefighters battled for more than 15 hours to douse the fire, and state media said about 1,500 tonnes of oil had spilled into the sea, causing a 183 square kilometers slick, 50 square kilometers of which is severe. Of the 50 square kilometers area, 20 square kilometers had been cleaned up and 160 tonnes of oil had been collected by 6 PM on Jul 19. The clean up operation may take five days.
Industry sources are divided on how long the port will stay shut, with some estimating between seven and more than 10 days, but officials could not give a timeframe.
The aftermath of the weekend fire could disrupt shipments of oil, iron ore and soy and add to pressure for stricter environmental standards in China, already reeling from a toxic copper mine leak in the south of the country which burst into headlines last week amid accusations of a cover up.
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