integument kingmaker: PTT, navy insist oil slick safe

PTT Global Chemical Plc (PTTGC) and the Royal Thai Navy say the oil slick off Rayong province has been contained and is unlikely to cause environmental damage.

Locals along Mae Ramphung Beach of Muang district and nearby beaches said Sunday there was no longer an oil odour noticeable in the air, as there had been on Saturday.

The spill took place on Saturday about 20km southeast of the Map Ta Phut industrial estate in Rayong.

Locals did not spot any oil on the beach and said they believe the authorities could contain the spill.

Oil spill dispersants were deployed from a hastily assembled flotilla of ships and boats from the Royal Thai Navy and other sources, in an apparently successful effort to stop the slick from reaching shore. (Photo by Panumas Sanguanwong).

The spill resulted from a leak along a PTTGC pipeline that supplied crude to its refinery.

It took place about 6.50am on Saturday when a tanker was loading crude to the offshore pipeline.

About 50,000 litres of oil leaked into the sea.

The company said a naval plane surveyed the affected area in the sea and found the spill was noticeably shrinking and the remaining oil slick was thin.

The company confirmed the slick was contained and oil-spill dispersants were being sprayed.

Five company boats and five other vessels from the Royal Thai Navy, the Marine Department and IRPC Plc were deployed for the clean-up.

Oil Spill Response Co of Singapore also sent a plane, experts and dispersant spray equipment to Rayong Sunday.

PTTGC said it expected the mission would be completed Sunday.

It also deployed officials to monitor the quality of seawater along the beaches of Rayong to ensure the response mission prevented any adverse impact on the marine environment.

Rear Adm Thiwa Daramuang, chief-of-staff of the First Naval Area Command, said the area of the oil slick was contained to about 500m wide and 1km long.

The navy deployed its Samaesan ship to assist in the mission. It also deployed a C-130 transport airplane to pour chemicals that would help contain the oil.

The rear admiral said the oil slick was unlikely to reach the coast of Rayong and the ecosystem in the area should remain intact.

Map Ta Phut industrial estate director Pratheep Aeng-Chuan said the oil spill area Sunday morning had decreased to about 500 sq m, or about 15-20% of the original spill area on Saturday.

He sent staff to monitor the quality of seawater along the coast from Map Ta Phut to Khao Laem Ya hill near Samet island in the next two weeks.

He said the oil slick was about 10km from Khao Laem Ya Sunday.

Meanwhile, fishermen in Rayong demanded PTTGC compensate them and tourism operators for the environmental damage.

Chaturas Iamworaniran, president of an association of small-scale fishermen in Rayong, said the oil spill would certainly affect the fishing industry and could also threaten tourism.

He said the company had merely applied chemicals to sink the leaked oil, and this would have long-term environmental effects in the long run. He urged concerned parties to work out solutions.