Waste water from the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical LLC is suspected to have killed nearly 50 tonnes of farmed fish in Thanh Hoa Province earlier this month.

Nghi Son Refinery project

On September 6, it was reported that 47 and a half tonnes of fish at 66 households were found dead. At first, local authorities concluded that the fish were killed by red tide phenomenon.

 Some 47 and a half tonnes of fish at 66 household farms in Thanh Hoa's Tinh Gia District were found dead early September

However, locals said before the mass fish death was announced, they had noticed some black liquid that floated 300-500 metres from the shore and also found dead sea creatures swept ashore. The local authorities are now testing waters at several waste water sources.

On September 13, the Centre for Environmental Monitoring under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment collected water samples off the surface the middle and the seabed near the discharge pipe of the Nghi Son Refinery. The Research Institute for Marine Fisheries also collected the fish and water samples for tests.

Le Van Binh, head of the provincial Environmental Protection Agency said it wasn't sure if Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical LLC caused the pollution but it had used chemical substances and saltwater to clean the 35 km-long oil pipeline.

At 3pm on June 9, it discharged this mixture into the sea and stopped at 5pm on June 11 following a request of provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment. Nghi Son had discharged a total of 42,000 cubic metres of waste water directly into the sea. This was a violation as it is stated in the environmental impact assessment report that such water should not be discharged into the sea without being treated.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment asked Nghi Son to deal with the 33,000 cubic metres of water that has yet to be discharged in accordance with regulations. The ministry will review the solution and give directives as to when it should be implemented.