When two crude oil pipelines in Dalian's Xingang port exploded on July 16, triggering a fire and a subsequent spill that turned out to be the worst ever in China, Li Juan, a fisherwoman from a nearby village, was idly chatting with her fellow villagers, who also depend on fishing for a living.

Li Juan, a fisherwoman, helps clean the oil spill near Dalian's Xingang port on Saturday. Zhang [China Daily]

Had it not been for the blast, Li would have sat idle till September, when the fish moratorium got over.

However, the past week turned out to be the busiest this year for dozens of residents of the fishing village of Dayugou.

Since July 19, the villagers have taken their own boats out to sea, right from 7 am to 5 pm, in an effort to clean up the oil spill.

"It's not fun," said the 23-year-old Li, as she moved oil barrels from her boat to a small dock in Dalian Development Area on Monday. "But I'm glad we've managed to clear the sea like it was before (the blast)."

Now, with even a patch of oil difficult to spot on the sea, Li was looking forward to a day of rest on Tuesday.

Over the past week, Li had been collecting oil in a small box, which is usually used for picking up trash. Other fishermen used spades, buckets, ladles, barrelheads, helmets and even their bare hands to scoop out the oil from the water.

"We have to be very careful because the oil makes the boats extremely slippery," Li said, wiping her oil-covered arms with a piece of oil absorbing sheet.

"Nobody wants to be covered in oil every day. It is really messy and uncomfortable," she added.