Mae Ramphueng beach in Rayong province was declared a disaster area on Saturday (29 Jan) as oil leaking from an underwater pipeline in the Gulf of Thailand continued to wash ashore and blacken the sand.
The leak from the pipeline owned by Star Petroleum Refining Public Company Limited (SPRC) started late on Tuesday (25 Jan) and was brought under control a day later after spilling an estimated 50,000 litres of oil into the ocean 20 km from the country’s industrialized eastern seaboard.
Some of the oil reached the shoreline at Mae Ramphueng beach late on Friday (28 Jan) after spreading over 47 sq km of sea in the gulf.
The navy is working with SPRC to contain the leak and said the main oil mass was still offshore with only a small amount washing up on at least two spots along the 12-km-long beach.
The navy said about 150 SPRC workers and 200 navy personnel had been deployed to clean up the beach and oil boom barriers had been set up.
Twelve navy ships and three civilian ships along with a number of aircraft were also working to contain the spill at sea with booms and dispersant spray.(NNT)
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