Seoul, Dec 6 – South Korea will ban the entry of oil tankers having only one hull in its vessels from 2011 as part of its efforts to prevent oil spills and other maritime disasters, an official said Sunday.

A single-hulled tanker has only one outer shell between its cargo and the ocean and has often caused oil spills leading to pollution.

The measure comes after the International Maritime Organisation recommended its members to phase out such tankers and build double-hulled ones instead, WAM news agency said. A double-hulled tanker reduces the risk of a spill in case of a collision or grounding. Existing single-hulled vessels can also be modified to a double-hulled one.