Emergency Center To Close After Completion of Oil Slick Clean-Up

RAYONG (NNT) - The emergency operations center in charge of the oil spill incident off the coast of Rayong Province will close after the cleanup at Mae Ramphueng Beach and the sea off the coast of the province is completed.

Provincial authorities have been cooperating with the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Center, the 1st Naval Area command, the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand, the Marine Department, and other agencies to eliminate the oil slick from the beaches in the past few days.

Recent aerial images show no apparent oil slicks on the province’s beaches, but authorities are keeping a close eye on the ground areas for possible oil sludges or particles caused by oil being broken down by dispersants into tiny droplets that may remain on the sea’s surface and be washed ashore.

After this, a committee comprising of three parties, including government agencies, tourism operators and local communities, and environmental organizations, will be established to investigate and assess the area to verify that there is no more oil in the area. The operations center will be then closed after the verification.

Meanwhile, Deputy Rayong Governor Anant Nakniyom met with residents affected by the oil leak on Wednesday at a complaints center set up near the beach. He said that nearly 1,400 people have filed complaints at these centers, which would be forwarded to Star Petroleum Refining (SPRC), which is responsible for disbursing compensation due to the company’s responsibility for the oil spill incident.