Thailand deployed its navy and other agencies on January 26 to contain an oil spill after about 160,000 liters leaked from an undersea pipeline, 20 km off its industrialized eastern seaboard.
The leak at the pipeline owned by Star Petroleum Refining Public Company Limited (SPRC) started on January 25, southeast of the Map Ta Phut Industrial estate, said Atthapol Charoenchansa, director-general of the Pollution Control Department.
Efforts are now underway to contain the oil spill, with the fishermen being warned to steer clear of the area.
In addition, at first there were fears that the oil spill could affect a resort island off Rayong province popular with foreign tourists, but the country revised the threat level, saying that the spill should be contained before it reaches the coast.
in addition, Sophon Thongdee, Director-General of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resource, told local media that the cleanup should end on January 27 and there was no major damage to marine life or habitat.
However, experts would be dispatched to conduct further assessment.
As for SPRC, it stated that the leakage was under control and only 20,000 liters of oil remained in the water. The company also informed that the leakage had not impacted refinery operation.
