Oil spill after ships collide off Guangdong

Two container ships, one Panamanian-registered, the other German, collided off the southern province of Guangdong resulting in a fuel oil leak up to 200m wide over 17km, officials said. The German vessel, the MSC Ilona, was heading out of Shenzhen port for Shanghai, the Panamanian ship, the Hyundai Advance, for Singapore when the collision occurred at the mouth of the Pearl River. A rescue aircraft was put on standby. Eight Guangdong spill containment vessels were deployed to the scene while divers went to work trying to plug the leak in the Ilona. The Ministry of Communications was reported meeting Wednesday night on what further action was to be taken.