ROK vessel wreckage cleaned up in S China

GUANGZHOU - After six months of salvage work, the wreckage of a vessel from the Republic of Korea (ROK) was completely cleaned up on Thursday near the coast of South China's Guangdong province, local authorities said Thursday.

All the wreckage of the Kenosathena, which was registered in the ROK and sank in March, has been cleaned up, said an official with the Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration.

The Kenosathena became a focus of media and public attention after it sank 4.1 nautical miles (7.6 km) off the coast of the city of Shanwei, as it was loaded with 7,000 tonnes of concentrated sulfuric acid and had 140 tonnes of fuel in its tank.

Experts decided to clean up the concentrated sulfuric acid and fuel before salvaging the wreckage. No pieces of wreckage or sources of pollution had been detected after the salvage work was completed, the official said.

All responsibility for the wrecked ship should be taken by the ROK side, as the ship's own problems were to blame for its demise. Guangdong's maritime administration will seek compensation from ship's owner, the official said.

All 18 crew members - including 10 from Myanmar, four from Indonesia and four from the ROK - had been rescued.