A oil?pipeline explosion in Northeast China is causing serious pollution to nearby waters. Efforts were under way Sunday to contain and clean up a large oil slick after pipeline explosions in Dalian's Xingang Harbor, northeast China's Liaoning Province.

At 6:10 pm July 16, a petroleum port on China's northeast coastline was rocked when two pipelines exploded and an oil spill followed.

The explosion and fire caused no casualties, a city government spokesman said.

The oil spill in Dalian coast, while smaller and more controllable than the infamous Gulf of Mexico spill, is nonetheless a major environmental disaster that will pose a hazard to the area's ecosystem for the next 10 years, despite all the cleanup efforts, researchers say.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation.