NANJING - A South Korean cargo ship that allegedly spilled phenol into China's longest river, causing water pollution in part of East China, was detained on Saturday, and the owners of the vessel could face trial.

The Wuhan Maritime Court, which has jurisdiction over the waters in the region, ordered the detention of the cargo ship Gloria, which was docked at the river city of Nantong in Jiangsu province as of the weekend.

Bail of 20.6 million yuan ($3.3 million) has been set, according to the official website of the Zhenjiang government.

It also said that the ship spilled the chemical into the river through underwater pipes, though South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported that the company that owns the Gloria has denied the claim.

"We have gathered evidence that the source of the pollution was from the pipes of Gloria," Mao Desheng, director of the Zhenjiang maritime safety administration, was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying.

"The cause of the spill will soon be verified and made public as soon the judicial procedure starts," said Mao.

Zhang Jiangshun, head of a lower-level court in Jiangsu province that is subordinate to the Wuhan court, said the shipping company would not face trial if a compensation agreement was reached with the local water supply company.

Zhang said that while there had been prior cases of contamination caused by foreign ships in China's open waters, cases involving pollution of inland rivers were rare.

The ship, which on Feb 2 was docked in Zhenjiang, a city downstream on the Yangtze River, leaked phenol on Feb 2 and Feb 3 due to a faulty valve.

Phenol is an organic compound that irritates the eyes and skin, and it can damage the liver and kidneys if absorbed in large amounts.

Over the past week, some residents of Zhenjiang, a city of 3 million people, reported that their tap water had a pungent smell. Rumors that a capsized ship was polluting the river sparked a run on bottled water in at least two cities in Jiangsu province.

Jia Yunliang, deputy director of Zhenjiang's environmental protection bureau, told China Daily that the quality of the city's water sources had returned to normal since the afternoon of Feb 3, and tap water had been safe to drink since Feb 4.

The local environmental protection bureau has stepped up the examination of the water sources, and water quality analyses have been provided twice a day since Feb 7, he said.

The local center for disease control has also provided free water quality analysis for residents who are still concerned.

To reassure local residents that the water was safe to drink, officials of the Zhenjiang government, including the secretary-general and vice-mayors, visited the residents and drank boiled tap water together with them on Saturday morning.

The Yangtze, which runs for 3,219 km west to east across China, is the country's longest river.

China Daily