Winds Spread Oil Spill, Hinder Cleanup

The battle against one of Japan’s worst oil spills grew more difficult as massive new slicks whipped by heavy winds quadrupled the coastline affected. Strong winds, high waves and poor visibility along much of the rugged coastline continued to hamper cleanup efforts. So far, the western prefectures of Hyogo, Kyoto, Fukui and Ishikawa have been affected by the 962,000-gallon leak caused by the breakup of a Russian tanker carrying fuel oil. One newspaper reported that the spill extended over 940 miles of coastline. The areas threatened by the spill include some of Japan’s most fertile fishing grounds.