PTT Global Chemical Plc
workers, Royal Thai Navy personnel and volunteers mop up and haul away
sand polluted by the July 27 oil spill.
Patcharapol Panrak
Cleanup of the Koh Samet oil spill is winding down, but the
more-arduous process of assessing long-term damage and preventing future
spills is only beginning.
Even as 900 PTT Global Chemical Plc workers, Royal Thai Navy personnel
and volunteers mopped up and hauled away sand polluted by the July 27
spill, government, military, environmental and tourism officials moved
to determine how much damage was done by the spillage of 50,000 liters
of crude oil from a PTTGC floating pipe off the Rayong coast.
The black waves that washed across Phrao Bay have cleared, but traces of
oil remain not only there, but the adjacent Suanson, Hinkhao, Khao
Laemyai and Mae Rumphung beaches. Workers ensconced in sweaty biohazard
suits sprayed high-pressure hoses on rocks, mopped up oil puddles by
hand and wiped down what remained. Teams from the Rayong Public Health
Office stood by ready to provide first aid.
PTT has hauled away much of the affected sand, taking
it to Maptaput facilities for treatment and disposal. Meanwhile, company
divers have been inspecting coral reefs and sea beds for contamination.
Paragliders are cruising above the waves looking for remaining slicks
and five PTT boats have laid booms and chemically sprayed any lingering
patches.
While the worst has passed, no one honestly can predict what the
long-term effects will be or how long they’ll last. The navy’s Eastern
Marine Fisheries Research and Development Center has begun collecting
fish and aquatic animals to check contamination. The Marine Department,
meanwhile, is proceeding with damage assessment and rehabilitation to
western Koh Samet.
The department reported that initial tests showed 9.6 mg. of oil per
liter, below the safety standard of 15 mg. per liter. Initial tests on
seafood show no contamination. If additional test results prove equally
rosy, Phrao Bay will be reopened soon, officials said.
Tests won’t stop there, however. The Pollution
Control Department said it will check the quality of seawater and air
around Khao Laem Ya-Mu Koh Samet National Park for one year. One
concern? PTTGC used six times the amount of chemical dispersant allowed
to break up the 1.5-nautical mile slick.
Media reports indicate PTTGC used more than 32,000 liters of chemicals,
but was only given permission by the Pollution Control Department to use
5,000 liters. The company won’t have to worry about sanction, though, as
Thai law provides no penalty for breaking PCD directives. But fishermen
worry the oil and chemicals will combine to devastate the local marine
population.
The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry has begun monitoring
short- and long-term impacts from imports of oil spilt in the marine
ecosystem. Interviews with local fishermen have also begun.
Management for the entire PTT Group has vowed to
improve its oil transportation network and facilities, instructing its
many subsidiary companies to closely monitor and inspect facilities and
improve communication minimize accidents. The first step, the company
said, will be to replace the floating hose that leaked during a tanker
transfer to PTT’s Maptaput refinery.
PTT also acknowledged it has begun paying settlements to Rayong and Koh
Samet residents before any compensation lawsuits can be filed. Some of
those payments may be to offset the damage done to Koh Samet’s tourism
industry, which earns 16 billion baht a year from 5.5 million visitors.
The island plans to host a “big cleanup day” Aug 10 to regain tourist
confidence and will bring 25 prominent travel agents and the media to
the affected area to gauge the progress for themselves. The Tourism
Authority of Thailand, meanwhile, said 70 percent of the island’s hotel
rooms were booked as of Aug. 2 and asserted that no beaches outside of
Phrao Bay were affected.
TAT’s claims contradicted international media reports of mass checkouts
and a public quote from Thailand’s top tourism official.
“I’m very concerned,” Tourism and Sports Minister Somsak Pureesrisak
told reporters. “I didn’t think this spill would impact tourism in such
an extreme way.”
