More rules to govern transfer of offshore crude oil
THE MARINE DEPARTMENT will impose more rules governing offshore loading and unloading of crude oil to prevent accidents similar to the recent oil spill of PTT Global Chemical.
Companies will be required to increase vessels monitoring the oil loading and unloading to two from one, while the oil boom will be placed 50 metres around the single point mooring (SMP) to control potential spillage, Kajornsak Saengsombat, director-general of the department, said yesterday.
It seems safer to transfer crude oil from a large vessel with 150,000 tonnes loading capacity to the mooring than to use small vessels to transfer oil from a large vessel, then from the small vessels to an oil-receiving facility onshore, as it involves two risk exposures. If an oil spill occurs very near the shoreline, it would not be possible to clean it effectively, as opposed to an offshore oil spill.
PTTGC asked the department to allow it to resume using the mooring to facilitate offshore transfers of crude oil near Map Ta Phut, the same mooring where the leakage occurred. The department will inspect the mooring to see if it can handle the crude oil transfer.
The department is expected to make a decision on the company’s request by today.
On July 27, a leak in a flexible hose was found at the company’s SPM while discharging crude oil from a vessel to the refinery, 20 kilometres southeast of Map Ta Phut seaport. The leakage resulted in the oil spill of about 50,000 litres or 316 barrels. PTT Group is now focusing on the rehabilitation process.
Kajornsak, who also serves as chairman of the Prevention and Elimination of Marine Pollution Caused by Oil Spill committee, expects fishing operators directly affected by the oil spill to receive compensation from PTTGC by the end of this month. Other damaged parties, such as hotels, miscellaneous vendors, taxis, rental vehicles and other small businesses will receive compensation after all the necessary information and figures have been compiled and submitted by application forms next Tuesday.
The oil spill clean-up at Ao Phrao was satisfactory based on feedback from hotels at the scene. However, restoring the confidence of tourists is another matter, as well as whether it is safe for tourists to swim in the sea again in the near future.
The Pollution Control Department expects to reveal the results of seawater quality tests next Tuesday or Wednesday. Other environmental quality tests will involve sand on the beaches and the air around Koh Samet and its vicinity for a maximum of one year, he added.
