Marine Dept probes second Star Petroleum oil spill off Rayong
The Marine Department is investigating another oil spill off the coast of Rayong that was reportedly caused when Star Petroleum Refining Plc (SPRC) moved the underwater pipeline at its single point mooring (SPM). The same pipeline caused a massive oil spill on January 25.
“Moving the pipeline reportedly caused about 5,000 litres of oil that was still in the pipe to flow into the sea on February 10 [Thursday],” said Marine Department deputy director-general Phuri Theerakulpisut on Saturday.
The department has banned ships from the area and filed a complaint with Map Tha Phut police accusing SPRC of violating its order to suspend operations at the SPM and causing further marine pollution.
The Department also ordered SPRC to issue a Tier 1 warning, which is a standard protocol when less than 20 tonnes of oil is spilled during transport. Under the protocol, after alerting the public, the party responsible for causing the spill must clean up the oil slick or immediately request assistance from agencies to prevent the slick from expanding.
“SPRC said they deployed booms around the slick on Thursday and that the situation is now under control,” said Phuri. “The department has dispatched boats and officials to monitor the situation and will investigate to estimate the environmental damage.”