The cause of an oil spill that occurred on the day Busan's resident shark "Bukang-i" left the canal at the Busan Port Waterfront Park has been identified as a nearby oil tanker.

The Busan Coast Guard caught an oil tanker that spilled oil into the waters near the Busan Port Waterfront Park on the 23rd without reporting it, about 24 hours after the incident occurred.


The Coast Guard received a report at around 12:23 PM on the 23rd that oil was floating in the sea near the Busan Port Waterfront Park.

Following the report, authorities deployed 8 vessels and about 40 personnel along with related agencies to conduct emergency containment operations.

The Coast Guard conducted investigations by questioning surrounding vessels and analyzing tracks from the Vessel Traffic Service (VTS).

In addition, they identified the vessel responsible for the oil spill through CCTV footage verification, marine sample collection, and oil fingerprint analysis.

As a result of the investigation, it was confirmed that 87 liters of oil leaked into the sea from the oil transfer hose of the tanker in question.

The vessel in question did not even report the oil spill.

The day the accident occurred, the 23rd, was a time when many citizens were keeping a close eye on Bukang-i's whereabouts as it had disappeared from around the canal since the morning.

Amidst this situation, as an oil slick was even discovered in the nearby sea, tips and reports poured into media outlets and related agencies.

Concerns were also raised as to whether the oil spill might affect Bukang-i.

Bukang-i was spotted swimming healthily on the 24th near the Busan Port International Passenger Terminal, about 2 km away from the canal.

An official from the Busan Coast Guard stated, "We will thoroughly investigate marine pollution acts and take strict measures."


(Photo courtesy of Busan Coast Guard, Yonhap News)