Update on the oil spill clean-up at Prao Bay, Samed Island

                   The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the following update on the oil spill situation near Samed Island, Rayong Province, and the clean-up operations as follows:-

                1.    The oil spill occurred on 27 July 2013 during a crude oil transfer from an oil tanker through a single-point mooring (SPM) to the pipeline for delivery to the PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited refinery, 20 kilometers southeast of the Map Ta Phut seaport. The 16-inch diameter pipeline had a leak at the SPM. The leakage resulted in an oil spill of approximately 50,000 liters which spread towards Samed Island and reached Prao Bay on the northwest coast of the island.

                2.    The PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited announced that it would take full responsibility for the incident, restore the environment and prevent any further problems. The company has carried out clean-up operations with help from the Marine Department, the Royal Thai Navy and related government agencies.

                3.    Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra instructed the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Interior, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to ease the problem and handle the impact as quickly as possible. The Royal Thai Navy and the Ministry of Public Health were also instructed to provide immediate assistance and health care for local residents and tourists in the affected area.

                4.  The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is working out plans with PTT Global Chemical on ways to provide compensation and rehabilitation and to prevent future incidents. Measures have also been undertaken to prevent the oil slick from penetrating Ban Phe Beach in Rayong, analyze any damage to marine ecology, and address the environmental impact. The Ministry of Finance has also worked out additional measures to help affected people. A special committee has been formed to investigate the incident. Efforts are being stepped up to deal with negative impacts on both the environment and tourism.

                 5. According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the incident had physical impacts but did not seriously affect tourism. Only some tourists cancelled their hotel reservations on Prao Bay and changed their destination, while others moved to the east coast which was not affected. The affected area was a small part of Samed Island while another 90% of the area remained untouched.

                        The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has plans to organize activities to restore confidence in the affected area, including “Kok-Kaek Tour : We Love Samed @ Rayong” on 17 – 18 August 2013.

                  6.   As of 6 August, the oil leak‘s impact on Prao Bay has been resolved and the emergency situation ended. Relevant authorities continue to work in close cooperation with the PTT Global Chemical and experts in order to fully restore the affected area.

                   7.  On 10 August, the Rayong Governor and PTT Global Chemical hosted the “Big Cleaning Day: Prao Bay” with thousands of representatives from government and private organizations, leading actors, actresses and singers joining the cleaning activities to return Prao Bay to normal.

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19 August 2012