3-year plan to heal wounds of Bohai Bay oil spill |Society |chinadaily.com.cn

3-year plan to heal wounds of Bohai Bay oil spill |Society |chinadaily.com.cn:

by Wang Qian

Hebei and Liaoning first to get share of 1b yuan compensation fund

Environmental authorities have mapped out a three-year plan for the restoration of Bohai Bay,which was severely damaged by oil spills last year, China's ocean watchdog said Thursday.

According to a statement by the State Oceanic Administration, the Ministry of Agriculture aims to rebuild the area's fishery industry by 2015, including putting about 3.4 billion aquatic animalsinto the bay.

The agency also announced that money from a 1 billion yuan ($157 million) compensation fund has already been allocated to Hebei and Liaoning provinces to be used to help fishermenaffected by the leaks from the Penglai 19-3 oilfield.

ConocoPhillips China, the operator of the oilfield, has also agreed with the government to setup another 1.1 billion yuan fund based on estimated damages.

The company, based in the United States, and its Chinese partner, China National Offshore OilCorporation, will also jointly pay another 600 million yuan.