The governor of a province in eastern Thailand declared a state of emergency on Saturday after an oil slick washed up on a sandy beach, closing restaurants and shops in a setback for the pandemic-battered tourism industry.
An estimated 20-50 tonnes of oil was estimated to have spilled into the Gulf of Thailand on Tuesday evening from an undersea hose used to load tankers at an offshore mooring point belonging to Star Petroleum Refining Co.
The leak was stopped inside hours, the corporate said, but efforts to stop the oil slick from reaching Mae Ramphueng Beach in Rayong Province, southeast of Bangkok, failed and a few of the oil began spilling onto the sand on Saturday morning.
Most of the spill stays offshore and there are fears it could hit Koh Samet, a well-liked tourist island that, together with the remaining of the country, is just beginning to get well from the coronavirus crisis.
Planes drop chemicals to disperse the oil and deploy floating booms to trap it so it could possibly be scooped from the surface and disposed of.
Governor Rayong Channa Iamsaeng on Saturday declared the affected beach a disaster area and ordered it closed to swimmers and business activities.
About 200 Navy personnel and 150 Star Petroleum employees helped with the cleanup using oil absorption and degreasing equipment, while two excavators dug trenches to intercept the incoming oil.
Thailand: Multiple bomb attacks in deep south
Thailand: Multiple bomb attacks in deep south
The coastal area is basically depending on tourists. It has suffered economically because the coronavirus pandemic has kept tourists away, and the spill will hamper recovery. Pollution also affected the local fishing industry.
The Thai branch of environmental motion group Greenpeace said the leak was the second involving Star Petroleum after a 1997 incident.
It issued an announcement demanding that the oil company clearly reveal responsibility for the accident, pay for cleanup and issue a full report on the economic, social and environmental impacts of the spill.
