An oil spill was reported in waters near the waterfront park at Busan's North Port, where a shark nicknamed "Bukangi" has been swimming.
The Busan Coast Guard received a report of oil in the water near the North Port waterfront park at about 12:23 p.m. on the 23rd, according to the agency and other officials.
The oil slick was found near the sixth footbridge over the artificial channel at the waterfront park, on the side facing the open sea. The area is close to the Busan North Port cruise terminal and is the direction the shark headed during a second attempt to guide it out to sea on Oct. 2. Authorities at the time managed to lead the shark to within about 100 meters of the channel entrance, but withdrew after installing nets because of problems including the seabed terrain. The effort later failed as the sea level rose.
After receiving the report, the coast guard deployed a coastal rescue boat and a pollution response vessel, confirmed a thin oil slick measuring 10 meters by 30 meters, and notified the Busan Metropolitan Government, the Busan branch of the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation, the Busan Port Authority and the Busan Infrastructure Corporation. The agencies have since mobilized eight vessels and 40 personnel for a joint response. They have installed containment barriers to keep oil from entering the waterfront park channel and are collecting spilled oil outside the barriers before recovering it and applying dispersants to break it down.
Bukangi, last spotted at about 8:40 a.m. on the 23rd just inside the exit of the waterfront park channel, has not been seen since, officials said. Some observers have suggested that the shark, which has sensitive sensory organs, may be swimming deep underwater and unable to surface because of the spill. An official at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said the slick is floating on the surface at the entrance opposite the spot where the shark had been guided toward the open sea, adding that it is unlikely to have a significant effect on the shark's health.
Bukangi, which had stayed in the waterfront park channel for more than a month, swam out of the channel on the 21st during a third attempt by the ministry, the Busan city government and other agencies to guide it to the open sea, but slipped back in late that night through a gap in a barrier set up by authorities.
The next day, officials installed a double net on a second barrier to keep the shark from moving farther inside, and removed the first barrier that the shark had breached. Bukangi then swam out of the channel again and was seen cruising off the North Port's No. 1 pier, widening its range and spending longer periods submerged.
Authorities concluded that the shark is adapting to its new surroundings and decided to wait until it leaves for the open sea on its own.