All hands on deck as Marine Dept works to clear oil slick off Rayong coast
The Marine Department has been instructed to clear the oil slick from a beach in Rayong province as soon as possible to mitigate environmental impact.
An underwater pipeline owned by Star Petroleum Refining Plc (SPRC) sprung a leak last Tuesday, releasing 160,000 litres of oil in the sea before it could be plugged.
“The Marine Department is using FS49 boats, which are usually used to collect floating garbage, to deploy booms some 350 metres from the Rayong shoreline as well as place absorbent sheets in areas where the slick is too thick to be eliminated with chemical dispersants,” Phuripat Theerakulpisut, the Marine Department’s deputy director-general, said on Sunday. “Bangchak Corporation has provided the boom and absorbent sheets for this operation.”
Phuripat added that a preliminary survey shows that the film of oil on the surface of the sea is thin enough for the current and wind conditions to push it through gaps in the boom and float towards Khao Laem Ya National Park and the west of Koh Samet. He added that the national park has been instructed to have boats ready to deploy absorbent sheets if the oil slick gets closer.
“Once we have finished deploying the boom and absorbent sheets, the Marine Department will survey affected coastal areas and test the quality of water periodically. It will take a
ll measures necessary to bring the marine environment back to its normal state as soon as possible,” he said.
