Another oil leak found at SPRC’s Rayong underwater pipeline
Star Petroleum Refining (SPRC) alerted the Rayong Marine Department on Tuesday that it had found another leak in its underwater oil pipeline off the coast of Map Ta Phut in Rayong.
The new leak was found in the pipeline north of the first leakage point at the company’s single point mooring pipeline that had caused a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Thailand on January 25.
The SPRC reported another oil leak, on February 10, after it had moved the pipeline in a bid to investigate the first leak that had caused the oil spill, resulting in about 5,000 litres of oil that was still in the pipe to flow into the sea.
On Tuesday, the SPRC reported that it had “successfully” sealed the second leak to prevent more oil from leaking into the sea. The company said it had also deployed booms and skimmers around the area to prevent the oil slick from spreading, and had dispatched 13 ships to spray dispersant on the slick.
Divers and underwater drones were also sent to survey the leak and underwater pipeline in the areas, while drones were dispatched to conduct aerial surveillance.
Meanwhile, Obrom Aranyaphreug, adviser to the Rayong Tourism Council, said on Wednesday that hundreds of tourism entrepreneurs on Rayong’s Mae Ramphueng Beach had filed complaints with the council, urging the SPRC to pay compensation for causing the oil spill which has led to oil slicks washing up on the beach.
“The Tourism Council is gathering data on the damages suffered by Rayong’s tourism businesses, which had earned around 950 million baht in January,” he said. “We will use this figure along with an estimation of tourism revenue in the following months to calculate the total compensation.
“We have also studied the court verdict in the case involving the 2013 oil spill from a PTT Global Chemical pipeline as reference for the compensation demand,” Obrom added.