China begins clean-up of massive oil spill

Chinese authorities are cleaning up one of the worst ever oil spills in Chinese waters.

Chinese authorities are cleaning up one of the worst ever oil spills in Chinese waters.

The Hyundai Advancecollided late last Tuesday with the MSC Ilona, causing some 524,000 litres of oil to leak from the German ship, according to earlier reports. Yesterday, Chinese authorities seized a Panamanian-registered container ship that fled after a collision with a German-registered vessel, causing the worst ever oil spill in China's waters.

The Hyundai Advancewas intercepted Friday about two hours after leaving the site of the collision in the southern province of Guangdong without authorization, said officials cited by the official Xinhua News Agency.

The accident occurred about 15 kilometres from the mouth of the Pearl River, northwest of Hong Kong, Xinhua said.

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The MSC Ilona was en routefrom Shanghai to the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong. The Hyundai Advance was departing Shenzhen for Singapore.