Is the Thai government prepared for a major oil spill?

[webfact]

Video screenshot

 

by Michael Bridge

With the recent storms hitting Thailand’s coasts over the weekend, Jomtien Beach in Pattaya saw a large sand dredger ship beached.

Luckily, she was refloated without we understand any damage or oil spillage reported.

 

This YouTube clip shows the beached ship.

 

Luckily this time around we were spared another natural disaster on one of Thailand’s popular beaches, but were local authorities prepared for such a disaster?

Back in February, approximately 47,000 litres of oil are estimated to have leaked into the Gulf of Thailand from an underwater hose used to load tankers at an offshore single point mooring (SPM) owned by Star Petroleum Refining Company (SPRC), in which US supermajor Chevron is the majority shareholder.

Then the media reported beaches on Koh Samet remained free from pollution by an oil slick that was spread by the broken pipeline in the sea off Map Ta Phut, in Rayong, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa reported at the time.

Mr Varawut said no sign of the oil had been detected at Ao Phrao or other beaches on the island facing the eastern province mainland.

However, Ao Phrao, a small bay and major tourist spot on the western side of Koh Samet, which faces Mae Rampheung beach on the Rayong coast, was polluted by the oil.

Booms were used to keep the slick away from Ao Phrao when wind and currents were moving it in that direction from Mae Ramphueng.

Tens of thousands of litres of dispersants were used to turn the oil slick into small droplets, according to the minister.

About 150 Star Petroleum Refining workers and two hundred navy personnel were deployed to clean up the beach, and oil boom barriers were set up, by the navy.

 

Twelve navy ships and three civilian ships along with a number of aircraft were brought in to help contain the spill at sea with booms and dispersant spray.

That just shows how a major disaster could seriously affect both wildlife and the hospitality industry of Thailand.

 

File photo

So who manages these disasters?

The Marine Department has sufficient response resources for a 1,000-ton spill. Their equipment is located at the Marine Department Dredging Centre in Songkhla and the Merchant Marine Training Centre in Samutprakarn near Bangkok.

Not sure if they would be prepared for another natural disaster though. 

Records reveal that more than two hundred oil spills have occurred over the past five decades, with little apparently being done to tighten regulations, restore the environment or compensate locals for the damage to their livelihoods. 

Now, experts are urging the government to shift the compensation burden from public funds onto the companies that cause the disasters. 

This could be done via mandatory environmental insurance and also an Environmental Guarantee Fund (EGF) for businesses such as mines, petrochemical plants, ports handling hazardous goods, coal-fired power plants, oil refineries, and petroleum operations.

“If we adopt an EGF, government agencies will not have to dig into their own pockets to clean up oil slicks and compensate those [local people] affected,” said Sonthi Kotchawat, an independent expert on environmental health.

He added that if environmental insurance policies were available, insurance companies would also help audit projects with potential environmental risks in a way that could cut the risk of disastrous pollution.

It is easy to see the huge container ships sailing past the Chonburi and Rayong coastlines every day.

With so many large ships using Laem Chabang port, it is inevitable that one day there could be a collision in severe weather. 

Luckily, the Singapore-based sand dredger did not spill any of its oil last weekend.

However, a few Pattaya City Hall staff will not keep a major oil spill from reaching the beaches along the Chonburi coastline.

They have been warned.

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-07-13

 

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[KIngsofisaan]

Thailand cannot even manage to stop floods from occuring year in and year out.

 

I suspect an oil spill would be a disaster as all those in charge would be fighting for corruption money instead of cleaning the spill up professionally.

 

[cnx101]

1 hour ago, KIngsofisaan said:

Thailand cannot even manage to stop floods from occuring year in and year out.

 

I suspect an oil spill would be a disaster as all those in charge would be fighting for corruption money instead of cleaning the spill up professionally.

 

And still cannot manage electricity power out in Chiangmai every few weeks, sometimes out for about an hour.

[klauskunkel]

Quote

Is the Thai government prepared for a major oil spill?

Of course it is, it's the Thai government after all. They do have officials!

[mikebell]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

were local authorities prepared for such a disaster?

In so far as the average Thai does not have the ability to think beyond the next pay day, I would think, on balance, the answer might be a resounding NO!

[Odin Norway]

3 hours ago, cnx101 said:

And still cannot manage electricity power out in Chiangmai every few weeks, sometimes out for about an hour.

Wow. A whole hour of power cut.Your life must be hard .If you called P.E.A they would have told you a tree hit the power lines or a snake took out the manuall switch

 

[nahkit]

First thing they would need to do is form a committee, come up with a catchy name and then print some t-shirts and baseball caps (plus jackets for the VIPs) for the photo op. If they really want to push the boat out (no pun intended) they could also write a song.

[DLock]

Dumb question.

 

Thailand has proven time and time again that it is not ready for any disaster. Why would an oil spill be any different.

[mania]

Quote

Is the Thai government prepared for a major oil spill?

Strike out the oil spill & just ask is the Thai govt prepared for anything at all?

 

Big no & just look at the covid fiasco or the floods or heck anything

Lastly there is no Thai Govt...There is a junta that never left

Sadly the Thai people deserve much better

[Mr Meeseeks]

5 hours ago, KIngsofisaan said:

Thailand cannot even manage to stop floods from occuring year in and year out.

 

I suspect an oil spill would be a disaster as all those in charge would be fighting for corruption money instead of cleaning the spill up professionally.

 

I am involved in the oil and gas industry in Thailand and you'd be 100% correct in that suspicion. 

Edited July 13, 2022 by Mr Meeseeks

[Guderian]

Well, it makes a change from the beach being washed away in a storm!

[Mr Meeseeks]

5 minutes ago, mania said:

Sadly the Thai people deserve much better

I'm of the opinion that people generally get what they deserve. ????‍♂️

[hotchilli]

Are they prepared for any disaster...?

I'm sure they have International aid letter templates somewhere on file.

[JonnyF]

This corrupt mob couldn't arrange mopping up the mess from a Chinese seafood buffet, never mind a major oil spill.

[Burma Bill]

3 hours ago, mania said:

just ask is the Thai govt prepared for anything at all?

Another military coup??????

[Ty Hareways]

Had my eye on this beast for a while, from what i can gather an ex mo-sigh taxi driver had just got the job as skipper and was on his first shift and thought being as it was a sand dredger he was actually meant to shift the beach.

Joking apart,you wouldn't be surprised if this did actually happen in TiT.

[billd766]

7 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

Of course it is, it's the Thai government after all. They do have officials!

But that won't help if something like this happens.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torrey_Canyon_oil_spill