Save Samet: Navy, pollution experts launch all-out efforts to halt oil slick
The agency in charge of cleaning crude oil that began hitting the shore of Rayong’s Mae Ram Phueng beach held a press conference on Saturday to provide updates.
Members of the Royal Thai Navy and pollution experts have been working hard to remove the sludge, with many boats sent out to spray dispersant chemicals, suck up the sludge and blot out the oil from the sand by using paper.
The latest satellite images show a 51-square-kilometre-large dark black stain in the area and a thin film of oil about 10km from the shore of Mae Ram Pheung Beach. Based on the images, the slick is believed to be moving in the direction of Khao Laem Ya–Mu Ko Samet National Park and Samet’s Ao Prao Beach, which is home to coral reefs and seagrasses.
An underwater pipeline owned by Star Petroleum Refining Plc (SPRC) sprung a leak early last week, and checks show that the leak may have been caused by problems with the flexible hose that is part of the equipment used to offload oil from tankers. At least 60 tonnes of crude oil is believed to have flowed into the sea before the leak was plugged.