Authorities have assured the public that seafood caught in Rayong is safe for consumption as the recent oil spill has already been cleaned up.
Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha addressed public concerns about seafood contamination during a public relations event in which he ate dishes made from ingredients fished from the province’s sea. He said 150 seafood samples were tested for lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, organic arsenic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons residue. The results showed all samples contained safe levels of the chemical compounds.
He added that the ministry will continue collecting seafood samples from Rayong and testing them to ensure consumer safety.
The Royal Thai Navy has meanwhile concluded cleaning operations of the oil leak that occurred on January 25 from an undersea pipeline belonging to Star Petroleum Refining Public Company Limited (SPRC), near Map Ta Phut in Rayong.
Robert Joseph Dobrik, director and CEO of SPRC, apologized on behalf of the company to all parties affected by the oil spill. The company said about 47,000 liters of crude oil had leaked from the pipeline.
The company also said it will take full responsibility for the spill and carry out a formal investigation to determine what caused the leak, claiming such scrutiny will be useful in the prevention of future incidents. SPRC added that it will cooperate with authorities looking into the oil spill incident and compensate all parties affected.
The company also claimed that it will also work with external experts and government agencies to assess the environmental impact and support the recovery process.
Additionally, sand, water and other contaminated materials have been collected and are currently stored at SPRC’s refinery. They are expected to be transported to Saraburi province for disposal.
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