Oil spill at Thailand island beach could spread to mainland coast
- 11 years ago
Originally published on August 1, 2013
An oil spill affecting Thai holiday island Koh Samet has now spread over a larger area and there are worries it could reach the mainland coast with heavy consequences on the fishing industry.
According to reports, the leak took place at a single point mooring about 20 kilometers southeast of the Map Ta Phut port in Rayong province on July 27.
About 50,000 litres of crude oil was leaked from the pipeline and drifted into the Gulf of Thailand, the fourth major oil spill in Thai history.
According to Reuters "The pipeline operator, PTT Global Chemical, apologized and said the leak had been plugged.
"A government spokesman said aircraft were releasing chemical dispersants over the 1 km (half a mile) long oil slick" and that the clean-up operation would take another two to three days.
Chemical dispersants serve to dissipate slicks by rapidly dispersing large amounts of oil from the sea surface.
Smaller, dispersed droplets are supposed to be less threatening than large amounts of oil as they do not reach the abode of aquatic animals and within three or four weeks sunlight and bacteria could naturally dispose them.
According to researchers however coral reefs can still be suffocated by the oil as they do not lie deep below the water surface.
In the meantime, the slick has already spread over quite a wide area and according to GreenPeace we can expect an impact on fisheries and from chemical contamination in the food chain.
According to reports, the spill is also having a heavy impact on tourism.
Ao Prao beach is now closed to the public and many tourists have left or cancelled their reservations.
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An oil spill affecting Thai holiday island Koh Samet has now spread over a larger area and there are worries it could reach the mainland coast with heavy consequences on the fishing industry.
According to reports, the leak took place at a single point mooring about 20 kilometers southeast of the Map Ta Phut port in Rayong province on July 27.
About 50,000 litres of crude oil was leaked from the pipeline and drifted into the Gulf of Thailand, the fourth major oil spill in Thai history.
According to Reuters "The pipeline operator, PTT Global Chemical, apologized and said the leak had been plugged.
"A government spokesman said aircraft were releasing chemical dispersants over the 1 km (half a mile) long oil slick" and that the clean-up operation would take another two to three days.
Chemical dispersants serve to dissipate slicks by rapidly dispersing large amounts of oil from the sea surface.
Smaller, dispersed droplets are supposed to be less threatening than large amounts of oil as they do not reach the abode of aquatic animals and within three or four weeks sunlight and bacteria could naturally dispose them.
According to researchers however coral reefs can still be suffocated by the oil as they do not lie deep below the water surface.
In the meantime, the slick has already spread over quite a wide area and according to GreenPeace we can expect an impact on fisheries and from chemical contamination in the food chain.
According to reports, the spill is also having a heavy impact on tourism.
Ao Prao beach is now closed to the public and many tourists have left or cancelled their reservations.
TomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world.
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