As of 30 July 2013
More than 200 employees of the national Thai energy company are working with 200 naval personnel and 60 volunteers to clean up the oil spill that has affected barely three of the nearly 50 beaches in the Thai eastern seaboard province of Rayong and the cluster of offshore islands in the Gulf of Thailand. The leakage of the pipeline which caused the spill was stopped within 24 hours and a deadline of 48 hours as of today has been set to clean up the entire area.
About 50,000 litres of crude oil leaked into the sea about 20 kilometres southeast of the Map Ta Phut industrial park in Rayong province on 27 July 2013 from a pipeline unloading a tanker’s cargo. About 5,000 litres are estimated to have washed up on Ao Phrao (Phrao Bay) on 28 July 2013. The western side of Samet Island, one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations located about 7 kms offshore, was most impacted. However, the slick was mainly offshore, from Ao Phrao to Ban Phe beach, about 20 km away.
On 29 July 2013, PTT Global Chemical Plc (PTTGC) apologised for the oil spill and promised to complete the clean up and restoration by 1 August 2013. PTTGC chief executive Anon Sirisaengtaksin said the company takes full responsibility for the accident and will pay for the full costs of the clean-up. A full environmental assessment will also be carried out.
The Prime Minister Mrs Yingluck Shinawatra has called on all responsible government agencies to learn from the incident and ensure that it never recurs.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is closely monitoring the situation in Samet with our office in Rayong Province as well as the local authorities in both the public and private sectors. Situation updates are being coordinated with the various government agencies involved in the clean-up, particularly the PTTGC. All the beaches on the east of Samet Island are totally unaffected as are the many other beaches in Rayong province and the neighbouring provinces of Trat and Chon Buri. We are optimistic that given the scale of the clean-up operation, the situation should return to normal by the deadline.
