? Oil control operations for drifting oil slicks and oil dwelling ashore Minimizing the quantity of drifting oil to reach the coastal areas, the following measures, which included the investigation of oil-drifting state by vessels and aircraft, as well as providing information to local governments, were taken. (a) Measures for removing drifting oil slicks at sea ・ Oil dispersants were sprayed by helicopters and vessels. ・ Collecting oil by oil recovery vessels and boats equipped with oil-collecting equipment. ・ Collecting oil by patrol vessels, Self-Defense vessels and boats using dippers and nets, etc.[Fig.6] (b) Measures to remove oil drifting in the coastal sea Arranging oil booms in waters near nuclear power plants or other important facilities. ・ Collecting oil by vessels equipped with oil-collecting equipment. ・ Collecting oil onshore, by vacuum cars and mobile concrete pumps, etc. ・ Manual oil collecting operations using dippers and buckets, etc. (c) Public announcement of oil movements expected (for the first time in Japan) Oil slicks had almost disappeared around 10 February, about a month after the oil spill incident. On the other hand, oil began to drift ashore from 7 January, the day on which the bow of the tanker reached Mikunicho, Fukui Prefecture, and extended to the coasts of 9 prefectures facing the Japan Sea as time went on. Before or after oil washed ashore, each local government set up a Countermeasure Task Force. Collecting operations for oil that had drifted ashore was led by local governments, collaborating with relevant agencies and volunteers, mainly by means of manual work. ? Removal of oil remaining in the bow Oil spilled from the bow of the tanker blackened the coasts off Mikunicho. Coastal areas may have suffer from more damage from oil contamination as the extent of structural damage to the hull of the tanker worsen due to heavy weather. Therefore, the pressing problem to be handled was to remove oil left in the tanker, so measures to be taken began to be discussed among all those concerned to take a proper action as soon as possible. As a result, it was decided on 14 January that, although oil was mainly collected using a crane and a barge (trimming), another measure was also to be taken whereby the remaining oil would be collected using a crane on the path constructed to access the bow of the tanker as an emergency measure, for fear that the previous measure might be hampered by heavy weather in the Japan Sea in winter. Oil-collecting operations were carried out and developed to a certain stage, but as was expected,
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