DALIAN, China, July 20 (UPI) -- Chinese officials said the port of Dalian was operating normally for the most part Tuesday in the aftermath of an oil pipeline explosion.
Dalian Port Co. said in a written statement that the shipping operations that had been suspended were getting back to normal, except in the area around the terminal where crude oil is unloaded.
Dalian, located in northeastern China, is China's largest crude-receiving port.
Repairs were under way at the crude terminal, and the company said handling and storage of chemicals and refined oil products such as gasoline were not affected.
An explosion in an oil pipeline last Friday ignited fires in harbor-side storage tanks and caused a significant spill of oil into the busy harbor. The Xinhua news agency said Tuesday that cleanup crews were tackling a major oil slick; however, smoke was still coming from the tank area.
The Ministry of Transportation said an unnamed "catalyst" had been added to a storage tank, triggering an explosion that spilled 1,500 tons of crude oil into the harbor.
About 260 tons of the crude oil had been recovered by an armada that included about 500 local fishing boats, The China Daily reported.
