An oil spill which started flowing on Saturday, July 27, in the Gulf of Thailand, 20 kilometers away from the coast, has reached a Thai tourist resort on Sunday night.
According to Reuters, the oil slick has reached Ao Prao beach on Koh Samet island.
Approximately 50.000 liters of oil was spilled from the pipeline 20 kilometers southeast of Map Ta Phut seaport, according to the operator PTT Global Chemical Pcl.
PTTGC said it has mitigated the impact of the oil spill by immediately shutting the pipeline valve to prevent further leakage followed by the cleanup of the spill by collecting oil from the sea surface, and spraying oil-spill dispersants both by ships and by planes. Currently, the spill reduced to approximately 5,000 liters and the mitigation is being conducted continuously.
According to TripAdvisor, a travel website that assists customers in gathering travel information, Koh Samet “is a favorite weekend beach getaway for expats and locals alike Most of the island is protected as part of Khao Laem Ya – Mu Ko Samet National Park, making it clean and relatively unspoiled. The island offers a variety of resorts, from the quiet and family-orientated to those catering to the party-till-dawn crowd.”
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Offshore Energy Today Staff, July 29, 2013; Image source: https://twitter.com/Tiwa