The head of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), Lin Jun-yi (
Lin added that the area would probably take between 12 and 18 months to completely recover from the spill, but his aim was have the worst of the pollution cleared up within one month.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
Meanwhile, experts and legislators visiting the part of Kenting National Park (
Legislators, marine experts and central government officials went down to the coastal reefs in the Lungkeng Ecological Preservation Area (
The biggest headache for the EPA now is how to remove the 200 tonnes of fuel oil and 60,000 tonnes of iron ore that still remain on the half-sunk ship.
Although many marine experts have warned the government of the dangers this presents, they became more worried after visiting the site yesterday.
"The 60,000 tonnes of iron ore [that remain on the ship] is a potential threat to the maritime ecosystem, especially to plankton," said Dai Chang-feng (戴昌鳳), professor of the Institute of Oceanography at National Taiwan University.
"Removing the ship is probably the best way of preventing the situation getting any worse," Dai said.
KMT Legislator Liao Wan-ju (
EPA officials said yesterday that a proposal for dealing with the ship would be presented by the ship's local agent within three days. It is not certain whether the ship will be righted or scuttled.
Experts from the National Museum of Marine Biological Aquarium, who have carried out numerous water quality tests in the area, said that the pollution had not spread to Nanwan (
This good luck might not last long, they said, because ocean currents would carry the polluted water to Nanwan when the wind direction changes in March or April. If this happens, the plant's cooling system, which uses sea water, may be affected.
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