Chao Phraya Barge Accident Spurs Flurry Of Impacts

[webfact]

ENVIRONMENT

Barge accident spurs flurry of impacts

By THE NATION

Cabinet ministers agreed yesterday that the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry should work to rehabilitate the quality of water in the lower section of the Chao Phraya River to cut the impact from a sugar barge that sank in Ayutthaya a week ago.

The Transport Ministry is also gathering evidence to sue the operator of the barge for compensation for people who suffered damage from the accident.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Cane and Sugar Board (OCSB) has contacted sugar factories to set a fund to pay for the salvage of the barge and to help solve other long-term problems.

Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said three ministries dealing with Natural Resources and the Environment, Transport and Agriculture would seek ways to alleviate the impact of such accidents.

Cabinet approved funds to aid people with fish farms or others affected by the disaster.

People raising fish would get remedial assistance - at 60 per |cent of the cost of raising fish, he said.

A 200kg mantra-ray was found dead yesterday near Bangkok's Tha Chang Pier. It was the fifth dead ray found since the accident, and other fish have died on masse. They are thought to have died because the sugar lowered the dissolved oxygen level in the river.

The salvage of the barge, meanwhile, was expected to be completed by Saturday, Panitan said. Ayutthaya Governor Wittaya Piewpong saw the operation to salvage the barge yesterday morning.

He said repair work had to stop because of strong currents in the river on Monday evening. Related parties had to call an urgent |meeting yesterday to find a solution.

Navy expert Rear Admiral Surapong Amnaksoradet said they hoped to fix a crack in the vessel today and re-float the barge with inflated balloons. Expert engineer Thanes Weerasiri said they also discussed the problem of currents eroding the riverbank.

Cane and Sugar Board secretary-general Prasert Tapaneeyang-kul said yesterday his office talked with factory bosses about preventing such an accident reoccurring.

They came up with two solutions.

Firstly, three factory associations would set up a central fund to pay for barge salvage expenses to minimise costs.

The fund, which would take two weeks to set up, should help manage such a crisis if a provincial governor could not get emergency funds promptly.

Secondly, factories should prepare modern tools to help retrieve sugar or other goods for quick transfer, he said, but the public and private sectors would need to work on that.

The board also urged sugar companies and transporters to carefully check the weight of barges, so it is appropriate with the river level and conditions, to ensure safe transport.

-- The Nation 2011-06-08

[Thai at Heart]

"Ok, meeting over, now for the envelopes".

The biggest impact will be that of money hitting people's accounts to make this story go away.

[moe666]

"Ok, meeting over, now for the envelopes".

The biggest impact will be that of money hitting people's accounts to make this story go away.

It appears a bit late to make it go away

[geriatrickid]

The fish farms have a far greater negative impact on the environment than the sugar spill. People that eat fish from these farms haven't got the slightest clue as to what they are consuming.

[whybother]

The fish farms have a far greater negative impact on the environment than the sugar spill. People that eat fish from these farms haven't got the slightest clue as to what they are consuming.

They will be consuming very sweet fish for a while.

[housepainter]

Keep in mind that this was only one barge. It could have been much worse if several of these massive barges had collided.

It would have only taken a flour laden barge and a butter laden one to have produced a giant cake mix that would have blocked the waterway for months.

As Thais don't eat cake [just the high so fatso's of Silom] it would have been left to Buddha to sort it out. The thin one doesn't look a likely lad either; clearly no cake eater.

I'm sorry to hear some bloke called Ray died. But then at 200 kg perhaps he couldn't run fast enough.

JUST TO ILLUSTRATE THAI WISDOM:

QUOTE: 'Cane and Sugar Board secretary-general Prasert Tapaneeyang-kul said yesterday his office talked with factory bosses about preventing such an accident reoccurring.'

1. Barge salvage - is not a solution. It is clearing up after another accident.

2. Retrieving sugar sunken in a river - would the 'new tools' include a straw, brush and pan?

In reality all that's needed is coffee and milk and you've got a free coffee shop.

[webfact]

Army Joins Sunken Barge Salvation

The army has sent military engineers to assist in the salvation of a sugar barge that sank in the Chao Phraya River in Ayutthaya Province.

Neither the boat operator nor the sugar owner has come out to take responsibility.

Army Deputy Chief-of-Staff Lieutenant General Jiradej Mokkhasamit inspected the scene of the sunken sugar barge in Ayutthaya Province and said the water level of the Chao Phraya River in the area has risen as water has been released from the Chao Phraya Dam.

He added that authorities have built a 60 meter-long sandbag barrier to prevent further erosion of the river bank due to altered currents.

Jiradej has discussed with the provincial governor and representatives of the Harbor Department and the army engineer unit efforts to salvage the capsized boat and cope with bank erosion.

He noted that army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha has ordered local military units to provide immediate aid for affected villagers and support provincial authorities as requested, particularly in terms of equipment and manpower.

He added that the military will await the decision by the province and the Harbor Department on its duty in the salvation in the long run.

Ayutthaya Governor Wittaya Phewphong said the capsized barge is 500 tons in weight and the salvation team is considering employing four inflatable pontoons, each capable of lifting 150 tons of weight.

He added that the pontoons will be tied to the bottom of the barge and then inflated to make it float.

The salvation operation is set for Saturday and expected to take two days. The owners of the boat and the sugar load will be held responsible for all costs involved in the recovery.

Meanwhile, the barge owner Alpha Marine Supply and the sugar owner JNP Company still deny responsibility.

The Harbor Department is set to call the two companies in to clarify the matter and find a resolution on the redress for the accident.

-- Tan Network 2011-06-08

[whybother]

Neither the boat operator nor the sugar owner has come out to take responsibility.

Now, there's a surprise.

Edited June 8, 2011 by whybother

[daiwill60]

Obviously once the problem has dissolved ( sorry couldn't resist That one) there will be no further action until another panic arises the next time something like this happens. As in the case of many road traffic accidents due to inadequate driving examinations and no real rules of the road being applied by the authorities, combined with serious road disrepair, there is always a knee jerk reaction on the media and in the public service domains , and yet nothing seems to be done about any of it.

Army Joins Sunken Barge Salvation

The army has sent military engineers to assist in the salvation of a sugar barge that sank in the Chao Phraya River in Ayutthaya Province.

Neither the boat operator nor the sugar owner has come out to take responsibility.

Army Deputy Chief-of-Staff Lieutenant General Jiradej Mokkhasamit inspected the scene of the sunken sugar barge in Ayutthaya Province and said the water level of the Chao Phraya River in the area has risen as water has been released from the Chao Phraya Dam.

He added that authorities have built a 60 meter-long sandbag barrier to prevent further erosion of the river bank due to altered currents.

Jiradej has discussed with the provincial governor and representatives of the Harbor Department and the army engineer unit efforts to salvage the capsized boat and cope with bank erosion.

He noted that army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha has ordered local military units to provide immediate aid for affected villagers and support provincial authorities as requested, particularly in terms of equipment and manpower.

He added that the military will await the decision by the province and the Harbor Department on its duty in the salvation in the long run.

Ayutthaya Governor Wittaya Phewphong said the capsized barge is 500 tons in weight and the salvation team is considering employing four inflatable pontoons, each capable of lifting 150 tons of weight.

He added that the pontoons will be tied to the bottom of the barge and then inflated to make it float.

The salvation operation is set for Saturday and expected to take two days. The owners of the boat and the sugar load will be held responsible for all costs involved in the recovery.

Meanwhile, the barge owner Alpha Marine Supply and the sugar owner JNP Company still deny responsibility.

The Harbor Department is set to call the two companies in to clarify the matter and find a resolution on the redress for the accident.

-- Tan Network 2011-06-08

[ratcatcher]

Sunken Barge Joins Salvation Army

Good to know they are continuing their great work.

Edited June 8, 2011 by ratcatcher

[arrowsdawdle]

Anybody that eats freshwater fish (river and klong fish) are among the most unenlightened of the "you are what you eat" school. That goes for watercress as well.

[ginjag]

Army Joins Sunken Barge Salvation

The army has sent military engineers to assist in the salvation of a sugar barge that sank in the Chao Phraya River in Ayutthaya Province.

Neither the boat operator nor the sugar owner has come out to take responsibility.

Army Deputy Chief-of-Staff Lieutenant General Jiradej Mokkhasamit inspected the scene of the sunken sugar barge in Ayutthaya Province and said the water level of the Chao Phraya River in the area has risen as water has been released from the Chao Phraya Dam.

He added that authorities have built a 60 meter-long sandbag barrier to prevent further erosion of the river bank due to altered currents.

Jiradej has discussed with the provincial governor and representatives of the Harbor Department and the army engineer unit efforts to salvage the capsized boat and cope with bank erosion.

He noted that army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha has ordered local military units to provide immediate aid for affected villagers and support provincial authorities as requested, particularly in terms of equipment and manpower.

He added that the military will await the decision by the province and the Harbor Department on its duty in the salvation in the long run.

Ayutthaya Governor Wittaya Phewphong said the capsized barge is 500 tons in weight and the salvation team is considering employing four inflatable pontoons, each capable of lifting 150 tons of weight.

He added that the pontoons will be tied to the bottom of the barge and then inflated to make it float.

The salvation operation is set for Saturday and expected to take two days. The owners of the boat and the sugar load will be held responsible for all costs involved in the recovery.

Meanwhile, the barge owner Alpha Marine Supply and the sugar owner JNP Company still deny responsibility.

The Harbor Department is set to call the two companies in to clarify the matter and find a resolution on the redress for the accident.

-- Tan Network 2011-06-08

The barge it states weighs 500 tons, I missed the tonnage of sugar that was lost. Myself not knowing if then the said barge was overloaded??

I wouldn't jump in too fast-but- if it's anything to go by, the lorries that transport the cane from the field to the factory are top heavy. Guessing 5 % of these lorries are ancient and will fall over if the lorry hits a sloping camber.

All the Thai people joke about these lorries-they say ""another lorry die today"" Greed again ? on the town road here outside my home, they belch out thick smoke and travel at 5kph because they are way overloaded, is this rife throughout the industry?????

[justcruisin]

A 500 Tonne barge carying 2,400 tonne of sugar ????

Says it all,about the same as the trucks, way over 100% overloaded.

It comes down to enforcement, but unfortunately the only reaction is too late after the accident has happened.

[webfact]

ENVIRONMENT

Chao Phraya, Pasak declared controlled zones

By THE NATION

Following last month's sinking of a sugar barge in Ayutthaya, the Marine Department has declared the Chao Phraya and Pasak rivers to be a controlled zone for cargo vessels and towboats from June 7 to December 31 due to seasonal torrential rain.

Meanwhile, the Administrative Court said yesterday the authorities could be sued for negligence in connection with the sugar-barge accident on May 31 if they had failed to check on whether the vessel was overloaded.

The Fishery Department is collecting evidence with a view to suing those who caused the accident, after it found that 30 farmers in Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani had lost fish worth Bt6 million in 117 floating baskets, while at least 60 types of fish in the two rivers were affected by lower oxygen levels.

It is estimated that from June 1-5, some 3,000 people caught 50-60 tonnes of fish on the rivers, after the fish had been struggling to breathe on the surface, while another 20 tonnes of fish died as a result of the accident.

The department said it would release 50 million fish into the Chao Phraya from the middle of this month through to September.

The accident, which caused 2,400 tonnes of sugar to spill into the Chao Phraya, causing oxygen levels of the two rivers to drop, has also led to three districts in Ayutthaya and two in Pathum Thani being declared disaster zones.

Marine Department chief Thawalrat Onsira said his agency had declared the Chao Phraya and Pasak rivers as controlled zones, requiring towboats to have at least 190 horsepower, to run at 3.21 kilometres per hour while sailing against the tide, and to be equipped with a radio for contacting officials.

Under the control rules, a cargo caravan must be less than 200 metres long from the towboat's tail to the tail of the last barge. A towboat with more than 300 horsepower can pull up to four 400-tonne barges, or up to three 600-tonne barges, or up to two 1,000-tonne barges, or one barge carrying more than 1,000 tonnes.

A towboat with 190-300 horsepower can pull up to three 400-tonne-gross barges or up to two 400-1,000-tonne-gross barges. A towboat of any engine size can pull four empty barges.

Thawalrat said some parts of the Chao Phraya and Pasak rivers would require a cargo caravan to have another boat to pull it from the back in order to balance the weight.

He said the regulations had not been specifically introduced because of the accident, as they had been drafted since April. Those violating the rules could face fines of Bt500 to Bt5,000 or a licence suspension.

In related news, Navy specialist Rear Admiral Surapong Amnak-soradet said the salvage operations would first place U-shaped sheet piles around the area of the vessel in order to reduce the speed of the current and allow scuba divers to survey the barge.

They will then use four pontoon floats, each with a lifting capacity of 100-150 tonnes, along with large air-filled balloons in the bilge to lift the vessel up. Officials will then pump the water out and tow the barge away.

-- The Nation 2011-06-09

[webfact]

do not post/quote Bangkok Post articles

Post removed

/Admin

[anterian]

The fish farms have a far greater negative impact on the environment than the sugar spill. People that eat fish from these farms haven't got the slightest clue as to what they are consuming.

I think Thais actually enjoy the muddy, polluted flavour of these fish. I once took a live fish a neighbour had caught and kept it in a tank for two weeks, its skin colour changed from dark grey to a light pink.