Journal of Natural Disaster Science

The Nakhodka Oil Spill in the Sea of Japan and Future Preventative Measures

Hajime ISHIDA,
Takehisa SAITOH
and
Masatoshi YUHI
Department of Civil Engineering, Kanazawa University

(Received 2 June, 1998 and in revised form 4 September, 1998)

Abstract

Serious oil pollution occurred along the shoreline of Fukui and Ishikawa prefectures due to spillage of 6,200 kL of C-type crude petroleum from the Russian tanker Nakhodka that broke into two parts owing to high waves near Oki Island in the Japan Sea in 1997. Its main body sank on the spot containing 10,000 kL of petroleum, but the bow drifted ashore at Antoh on the Mikuni Coast of Fukui Prefecture. An oil fence set up around the bow was easily torn away by waves with heights of more than 1 m. The drifting oil emulsified with sea water became too sticky to suck in the oil collecting ship "Seiryu Maru" and Russian ships. The drifting oil on the sea surface and the washed up oil on the beach were collected mainly by human efforts of many fishermen and volunteers using ladles and drum cans. This bitter experience has taught us that we need to develop chemicals that will prevent oil water emulsification, oil fences that can resist strong waves, as well as machines designed to collect sticky oil emulsified with water and to clean up the rocks and sand polluted with oil.

Key words

oil spill, C crud petroleum, Nakhodka, Japan Sea, preventative measures