Dalian, China (BGN) – While not as catastrophic as the recent BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, China is dealing with its worst oil spill to date – after two pipelines exploded on July 16 2010. The China oil spill initially caused a fierce fire and even took the life of one cleanup worker who drowned after being thrown off the boat amid strong winds.

The Chinese oil spill took place off the coast of Dalian and despite clean up efforts lacking proper tools, it seemed as things were under control in the city that was once deemed ‘the most livable city in China’.

Chinese Oil Spill Getting Worse

Since the event broke out, strong winds has been broken the spill into parts and has dispersed more than previously anticipated. reported. Reports from Chinese authorities suggests an area of ocean covering 430 sq km has been polluted thus far and around 20 cm thick. Among the clean up efforts currently being deployed, oil-eating bacteria and oil-skimming vessels are currently the favorites.

Local authorities have voiced concerns on the lack of proper cleanup materials, citing that chopsticks and rubber gloves as inefficient tools to keep the oil from hitting the shore.

CCTV, China’s official government channel, has reported that 1,500 tons (400,000 gallons) of oil have spilled to date – which compares favorably to the 100 million plus gallons spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Nevertheless, the city of Dalian remains concerned that oil spill recovery could take time, preventing further shipments from arriving in time and affecting factories and fisherman have cause for concern related to the pollution.

Despite the advancement of technology, the latest China oil spill has once again demonstrated that perhaps not enough measures have been taken thus far to prevent such disasters impacting the environment.