Hebei Spirit Oil Spill and its environmental impacts-Six years after the spill

Abstract

After the collision between the oil tanker Hebei Spirit and a barge carrying a crane, approximately 10,900 M/T of crude oil was spilled in December 2007. Whole western coast of Korea was directly or indirectly impacted by the spill. Multi-media monitoring of oil contaminations in seawater, sediment, pore water and bivalve have been conducted for six years since the spill. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and/or total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) were analyzed and their environmental risks were also evaluated. Immediately after the spill, the direct impact of the spill was clearly recognized at most sites surveyed. TPH concentration in seawater was, on average, 154 times higher than the Korean marine water quality standard of 10 ppb. Since Sep. 2009 (21 months after the spill), TPH concentrations haven’t exceeded the marine water quality standard. Following the spill, parent and alkylated PAHs in bivalves increased up to 1,200 and 106,000 ng/g, respectively, which were 60 and 1000 times higher than the pre-spill concentration level. PAH concentrations in bivalves currently show local variations within the pre-spill contamination levels. 16 Parent PAHs in sediment initially ranged from 1.6 to 3,400 ng/g with an average of 191 ng/g, which was lower than NOAA’s SQG (ERL 4022 ng/g). However, alkylated PAHs was as high as 66,000 ng/g and they are still showing decreasing trend as of Mar. 2014, approaching the pre-edia monitoring of oil contaminations in seawater, sediment, pore water and bivalve have been conducted for six years since the spill. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and/or total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) were analyzed and their environmental risks were also evaluated. Immediately after the spill, the direct impact of the spill was clearly recognized at most sites surveyed. TPH concentration in seawater was, on average, 154 times higher than the Korean marine water quality standard of 10 ppb. Since Sep. 2009 (21 months after the spill), TPH concentrations haven’t exceeded the marine water quality standard. Following the spill, parent and alkylated PAHs in bivalves increased up to 1,200 and 106,000 ng/g, respectively, which were 60 and 1000 times higher than the pre-spill concentration level. PAH concentrations in bivalves currently show local variations within the pre-spill contamination levels. 16 Parent PAHs in sediment initially ranged from 1.6 to 3,400 ng/g with an average of 191 ng/g, which was lower than NOAA’s SQG (ERL 4022 ng/g). However, alkylated PAHs was as high as 66,000 ng/g and they are still showing decreasing trend as of Mar. 2014, approaching the pre-