The efforts to clean up continue after two pipelines ruptured in Dalian, sending forth in the neighborhood of 11,000 barrels of oil into the Yellow Sea. The environmentalists are still trying to figure out just exactly how this happened, and what damage the fisheries and beaches have sustained in the incident.

If it wasn’t enough that BP had a spill in the Gulf of Mexico, now a few more pipes from the big oil conglomerates have ruptured!

The ground heaved as the first of the two pipelines ruptured, which led the residents and dock workers near Dalian’s Xingang Harbor to fall to their knees, thinking an earthquake was occurring.

What they didn’t know, was that the shuddering of the ground was being caused by yet another environmental mishap by the major oil companies.

These two pipelines located near the port, ripped apart at the seams this past Friday, spewing a substantial amount oil into the Yellow Sea, and shooting flames more than 60 feet into the air!

Thankfully, there were no serious injuries reported and they managed to keep the fire in check, and have it completely under control as of last Saturday. However, by Monday hundreds of ships were attempting to clean up the mess, which extended an astonishing distance. The port operations in the area were expected to be ground to a halt for at least a week!

Meanwhile, Environmentalists are still trying to figure out exactly how big a catastrophe this actually is. They are trying to estimate the actual damage done to the beaches and fisheries at one of China’s most important ports. Smoke from the raging inferno has plagued downtown Dalian over the weekend.

The actual amount of damage done will depend on quite a few variables, such as containment of the oil, so says a professor at the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Fu Guo. There is a large shellfish farm, which is operated by the Zhangzidao Fishery Group, only a stone throw’s away from the spill.

“There have been accidents in the past, but this one was more serious,” granted Fu, “The spill happened close to the city, so the impact on residents may be more severe.”

The China National Petroleum Corporation, which happens to be the biggest oil company in the nation, and also the owner of the pipelines which ruptured in Dalia, Have not come forward with the cause of the disaster, but the authorities are looking into a Liberian-flagged oil tanker, which is a suspect as it was unloading at the time the pipelines ruptured.

Analysts have said that the mishap may have been caused by improper loading procedures of the oil from ships to the storage tanks in the harbor.

You would think that the giant oil conglomerates would take a look at the recent “mishaps” around the globe and step up safety procedures.. However there seems to be a general nonchalance about the whole affair, and these oil companies continue to have mishaps… It seems for the oil companies to take these “mishaps” seriously, there needs to be significant human loss or suffering, and by then it will be too late…