PTT oil slick spreads to Koh Samet beachfront

[oldsailor35]

Those guys in the orange life jackets must have just flown in from Buri Ram, they still look a bit nervous about another Tsunami.

[oldsailor35]

RT @tiwa: Oil has made it to shore at Koh Samed... Hope clean up happens fast. That's oil stuck to my finger. http://t.co/2NbMfj7XF8

Can't be ! According to Phillip, the situation was swiftly under control so there cannot possibly be oil on Samet.

[sandrabbit]

Those guys in the orange life jackets must have just flown in from Buri Ram, they still look a bit nervous about another Tsunami.

I hope not, I have a basement condo here

[oldsailor35]

How awful. Koh Samet is beautiful. It was the first place I went in Thailand outside of Bangkok, and it really made me fall in love with the place. I hope the companies responsible will do something!!

Its already been done .........Ask Philip.

[oldsailor35]

RT @bangkokdan: Oil spill? Everything under control, as always... RT @Ekbodinpasopon: http://t.co/OfUmc5Tbvi

https://twitter.com/Ekbodinpasopon/status/361709658831998976/photo/1

That's a sad picture. This is the first concrete evidence I have seen showing that this looks like a major incident. Has anyone heard what the cause of the leak is? If a P/L has ruptured on its own then PTT has a lot to answer for, if on the other hand this was caused by a vessel anchor then it's a differant story.

Oh dear. Why haven't they been putting booms across the beaches if it was really this bad?

Once again, ask Philip.

[billzant]

Philip, I was interested in your comment "Although some sheen and particles may hit beaches, this incident could have been far worse, but the companies in that area train together for this and were prepared. Anyone with industry experience knows this spill was managed swiftly and thoroughly." I don't have industry experience but you say the spill was managed swiftly and thoroughly. The tone of your comment suggests that you do have industry experience so from an industry point of view was the oil on Koh Samet beaches acceptable damage? Maybe the damage was not severe, I am only going by the picture here:-

http://i949.photobucket.com/albums/ad338/billzant/WINCTRL-KNA1179/websiteimages/kohsametoil_zps9af00039.jpg

I would like a more informed view than the usual detractors.

[catweazle]

Ah, we get the typical TiT bashing comments...

Now let me dig into my memory a bit and throw some spanners around:

Alaska...anyone?

Well, that's quite a long time ago...lets try this one: BP...Gulf of Mexico... Anyone?

Accidents like this happen. Everywhere in the world.. I dare say that the US of A seems to hold first spot on Cluster Xxxxx in this type of accidents....

Yes, it's a serious accident, but if you're only half way sincere, you'd not be driving a car and use public transport or maybe taxis to get around so less oil needs to be refined and less chance for an accident to occur...

Before anyone starts:

- I use taxi's or car-pool with my employees..

- Living oil free is impossible, but you can make a difference by using less..

Schuimpge, I salute you!!! The US of A holds first spot for a lot of other cluster xxxxxxx as well and is always first in pointing fingers as well.

If the photo with people in charge wearing life jackets, pointing at the sand, represents the way this major PTT f%*kup is investigated and punished, we will see one of the PTT directors getting a slap on the wrist along with a ridiculous 2 or 3m Baht fine and the case is closed, while private investors and resort owners along the coast will lose everything and will not get a single Baht in compensation.

Great would be a thailandwide boycott against PTT gas stations, but I fear this will just remain a dream...

Edited July 29, 2013 by metisdead

[oldsailor35]

xtof2, allow me to correct you. One, my face is my own not an avatar. Two, the mountain behind me in my photo is found in Glacier National Park nearby St. Marys (Montana). Three, I'm not in the oil n gas biz here(automotive actually) but I know people in it here and by all accounts this spill has been handled professionally with shared resources here and assistance from Singapore. Four, if you took the time to read my posts on other topics you would know I shoot straight and its no different with this unfortunate accident. I suggest you continue to follow the news to see whether my initial comment was in line with the facts before making assumptions, plenty of hard working folks here in oil n gas that do their best to avoid these accidents and are prepared when they occur.

Rule One.........When trapped in a deep hole.....Stop Digging !

[oldsailor35]

Wifey's cousin on the beach taking photos. Really sad.

Great to see all the modern clean up equipment supplied by the oil company in use.

Edited July 29, 2013 by oldsailor35

[BradinAsia]

Really lovely beaches there ruin by pure incompetence, just bury your heads in the sand TIT

Oil spills happen all over the world -- most often in advanced, developed countries.

Why is it that everything that happens here gets the cynical "TIT" label?

Incompetence is incompetence, and it is everywhere.

[Thai at Heart]

Really lovely beaches there ruin by pure incompetence, just bury your heads in the sand TIT

Oil spills happen all over the world -- most often in advanced, developed countries.

Why is it that everything that happens here gets the cynical "TIT" label?

Incompetence is incompetence, and it is everywhere.

The headlines in the other paper this morning were that it read under control and unlikely to threaten tourist areas.

Meanwhile it had already made land at 7pm the night before. I know pigeons are slow, but....

[atsiii]

Although some sheen and particles may hit beaches, this incident could have been far worse, but the companies in that area train together for this and were prepared. Anyone with industry experience knows this spill was managed swiftly and thoroughly.

Thanks, Phillip. But on what are you basing your analysis? I'd like to go read it, too. I didn't see any photos of the leak being contained on the surface with booms, as I read the winds and waves had been high; nor did I see any photos of boats spraying chemical dispersants. I read that they had asked for help from Singapore (or Hong Kong?), but I have not seen if that help had (or will?) arrived. We are quite a bit south and out of harms way (this time!), but if this had happened during the north dragon winds, it would have been pushed our direction.

Now they are talking about a lot of future oil development around Koh Kood--immediately to our south. There is already oil residue on all the beaches from engines, bilges and minor accidents, and almost every beach must be cleared of floating trash at least once a day. Such is the Gulf of Thailand. But when I think about things like the BP tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico, I really wonder if they are even remotely prepared for what could go wrong?

[Thai at Heart]

Although some sheen and particles may hit beaches, this incident could have been far worse, but the companies in that area train together for this and were prepared. Anyone with industry experience knows this spill was managed swiftly and thoroughly.

Thanks, Phillip. But on what are you basing your analysis? I'd like to go read it, too. I didn't see any photos of the leak being contained on the surface with booms, as I read the winds and waves had been high; nor did I see any photos of boats spraying chemical dispersants. I read that they had asked for help from Singapore (or Hong Kong?), but I have not seen if that help had (or will?) arrived. We are quite a bit south and out of harms way (this time!), but if this had happened during the north dragon winds, it would have been pushed our direction.

Now they are talking about a lot of future oil development around Koh Kood--immediately to our south. There is already oil residue on all the beaches from engines, bilges and minor accidents, and almost every beach must be cleared of floating trash at least once a day. Such is the Gulf of Thailand. But when I think about things like the BP tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico, I really wonder if they are even remotely prepared for what could go wrong?

The guys in Singapore have a plane ready to provide equipment at a days notice.

Why the local systems couldn't contain this I don't know, but it would suggest it was a lot bigger than they admitted. A few hundred metres squared should have been contained.

[atsiii]

RT@Tulip_Oum: 5,000 Litre of Crude Oil leak from PTT Global Chemical operation. Arial view Photo from @Thairath_News pic.twitter.com/u12GQq8YkV

The oil spill is about the same area as Koh Samet (13sqkm). To cover such an area with only one millimeter of crude oil would take 13 million liters (if I have done my numbers right). I'm not sure how thick this oil spill is but if it is crude oil and only a day old it's probably fair to say at least one millimeter. Looking at the pictures from the beach on koh Samet it looks much thicker.

So the 50,000 liters reported sounds much to small, compaired with 13,000,000 liters required to just cover the oil slick by 1 millimeter.

Thank you! Simple math!! The arithmetic may not be exact, but it's enough to show that the stated quantity of the spill is most likely, B.S. Or perhaps B.P.?

[PoodMaiDai]

I can almost here it now, "there will be no more oil spills."

[Pesche]

My heart is bleeding and crying!...

I had the chance and opportunity to run a resort there - on Ao Maphrao for 10 years...

Long time ago...

However,

The coral reef begins knee deep! Less then 1 meter!

At Ao Phrao the reef begins to continue for the next 6 km on the West coast!

We enjoyed pristine corals - soft and hard - we tried to preserve it, monitoring with the Marine University of Burapha...

Long time ago!!

And now it IS destroied... It is gone!

While a big Resort (5 Star) took the place... In a place we colled "Hat Sawahn" ( Paradise Beach), pollution destroyed it!

I do remember when we where enjoying and discovering the reef! (1992 - 2002)

A reef so shallow - 1 to 8 meters - with pristine fauna AND corals...

Its gone! Its a tragedy!!

And we just look...

I cry...

[IsaanUSA]

Very sad seeing those pictures

I have good memories of my past experience at ko Samet.

[kannot]

Really lovely beaches there ruin by pure incompetence, just bury your heads in the sand TIT

Oil spills happen all over the world -- most often in advanced, developed countries.

Why is it that everything that happens here gets the cynical "TIT" label?

Incompetence is incompetence, and it is everywhere.

Maybe because Thailand is the "Hub Of Incompetence"?

[kannot]

Ah, we get the typical TiT bashing comments...

Now let me dig into my memory a bit and throw some spanners around:

Alaska...anyone?

Well, that's quite a long time ago...lets try this one: BP...Gulf of Mexico... Anyone?

Accidents like this happen. Everywhere in the world.. I dare say that the US of A seems to hold first spot on Cluster Xxxxx in this type of accidents....

Yes, it's a serious accident, but if you're only half way sincere, you'd not be driving a car and use public transport or maybe taxis to get around so less oil needs to be refined and less chance for an accident to occur...

Before anyone starts:

- I use taxi's or car-pool with my employees..

- Living oil free is impossible, but you can make a difference by using less..

Schuimpge, I salute you!!! The US of A holds first spot for a lot of other cluster xxxxxxx as well and is always first in pointing fingers as well.

If the photo with people in charge wearing life jackets, pointing at the sand, represents the way this major PTT f%*kup is investigated and punished, we will see one of the PTT directors getting a slap on the wrist along with a ridiculous 2 or 3m Baht fine and the case is closed, while private investors and resort owners along the coast will lose everything and will not get a single Baht in compensation.

Great would be a thailandwide boycott against PTT gas stations, but I fear this will just remain a dream...

It'll be a dream alright as all PTT's have a 7/11 in them these days!!

[kannot]

UPDATE:

PTTGC rushes to clean up oil slick at Samet island

By English News

BANGKOK, July 29 - PTT Global Chemical Plc (PTTGC) has rushed to clean up the oil slick that washed up on Samet island in the eastern province of Rayong, tainting the beach at Phrao Bay with crude oil leak from a PTTGC transmission pipe.

Porntep Butniphant, Executive Vice President for Refinery and Shared Facilities, said the company mobilised workers and asked for help from the army to send 400 soldiers to help urgently clean up the beach at Phrao Bay after the crude oil slick covered about one kilometre of beach.

It is expected the cleanup operation would be finished today, he said.

Mr Porntep said initial investigation found that the oil slick slipped from the bottom of the booms that used for containing the oil spill so that the spill was washed up into the shore last night.

He said some 5,000 litres of crude oil floated into shore even though the company workers used two tiers of booms to contain the slick.

The PTTGC executive said company staff used the booms to contain crude oil at the mouth of Phrao Bay to limit the affected area and used skimmers to transfer the oil into holding tanks.

As for the oil slick at the beach, he said, workmen used shovels to remove oil soaked sand.

Mr Porntep said PTTGC would eventually rehabilitate the beach to prevent any damage to the eco-system.

Sand and sea water samples will be collected for further examination.

The oil slick developed Saturday morning when approximately 50 tonnes (50,000 litres) of crude oil leaked from a pipeline, spilling into the sea off Rayong, some 20 kilometres southeast of the Map Ta Phut industrial estate.

The clean up operation at the leak point is already complete and PTTGC has assured the public that there would be no further damage to the environment. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-07-29

Looking at the pictures, and PTT saying the clean up of the beach will be finished by today - I am looking forward to the pictures of Ao Prao all cleaned up tomorrow.

By the way, Koh Samet is a National Park which has always be mismanaged and corrupt - maybe the Thai National Parks will focus on the island and clean up the park wardens ways!

THe local MP is saying 6 months to clearup - well he would exaggerate wouldn't he?

BUT.......

PTT would downplay it too - so the truth is some plae in-between - but I doubt if the MP has any real info yet on the long term environmental damage. Sea water, sea-bed coral and fish stocks.

Rayong has a big fishing fleet and seafood and fish arewa n important part of the local economy - how long will it be before we can eat seafood from that area again?

It'll be on your plate tomorrow night except they wont need to add oil to cook it!!!

[EyesWideOpen]

RT@Tulip_Oum: 5,000 Litre of Crude Oil leak from PTT Global Chemical operation. Arial view Photo from @Thairath_News pic.twitter.com/u12GQq8YkV

The oil spill is about the same area as Koh Samet (13sqkm). To cover such an area with only one millimeter of crude oil would take 13 million liters (if I have done my numbers right). I'm not sure how thick this oil spill is but if it is crude oil and only a day old it's probably fair to say at least one millimeter. Looking at the pictures from the beach on koh Samet it looks much thicker.

So the 50,000 liters reported sounds much to small, compaired with 13,000,000 liters required to just cover the oil slick by 1 millimeter.

Thank you! Simple math!! The arithmetic may not be exact, but it's enough to show that the stated quantity of the spill is most likely, B.S. Or perhaps B.P.?

According to Oil Spill Basics website....

http://www.absorbentsonline.com/oilspillbasics.htm

"Oil tends to float and spread out into a very thin film on the water surface...usually only about 0.1 mm thick"

So that would cut your number to 1/10, so if your original math was correct, that would make the spill 1.3 million liters , still a far cry from the " official figures" of 50,000 liters.

I worked on the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 for 6 months, as the captain of a 120 foot ship leased by Exxon as a command vessel.

So I was able to get a first hand look at how to clean up oil impacted beaches. And from looking at the photos of the beach clean up going on right now on Samet ,things look a lot different.....

The floating oil at sea on the Exxon spill was picked up by skimmers. Two small boats would pull a pair of booms in a long v shape, with the skimmer boat at the end of the v. So as the two small boats move forward, the oil is slowly forced to the point of the v ,and then pulled up into the skimmer boat by a conveyor belt that dipped into the water with ribs to pick up the oil. If there are any skimmers operating, I sure am not seeing them.....

In order to get the oil out of the sand on the beaches, Exxon used high powered steam cleaners on the beaches. They would wait for low tide, and then start steaming the oily sand starting at the high tide line and working down. The oil and hot water would then run down into the water where it was picked up. A lot of the loose oil on the beaches and on the rocks was wiped up by special absorbent pads that picked up oil but not water. Exxon used MILLIONS of these pads. This work went on for months. For PTT to say this job will be done in a few days is completely insane.

Edited July 29, 2013 by EyesWideOpen

[NeverSure]

I can almost here it now, "there will be no more oil spills."

Not quite. There will be an announcement that they are passing a new law against oil spills, and that they will punish anyone caught taking bribes to allow oil spills.

There will be a new Minister of Oil Spills who will make Thailand the Hub of Oil Spills.

[monkeycountry]

Ah, we get the typical TiT bashing comments...

Now let me dig into my memory a bit and throw some spanners around:

Alaska...anyone?

Well, that's quite a long time ago...lets try this one: BP...Gulf of Mexico... Anyone?

Accidents like this happen. Everywhere in the world.. I dare say that the US of A seems to hold first spot on Cluster Xxxxx in this type of accidents....

Yes, it's a serious accident, but if you're only half way sincere, you'd not be driving a car and use public transport or maybe taxis to get around so less oil needs to be refined and less chance for an accident to occur...

Before anyone starts:

- I use taxi's or car-pool with my employees..

- Living oil free is impossible, but you can make a difference by using less..

Schuimpge, I salute you!!! The US of A holds first spot for a lot of other cluster xxxxxxx as well and is always first in pointing fingers as well.

If the photo with people in charge wearing life jackets, pointing at the sand, represents the way this major PTT f%*kup is investigated and punished, we will see one of the PTT directors getting a slap on the wrist along with a ridiculous 2 or 3m Baht fine and the case is closed, while private investors and resort owners along the coast will lose everything and will not get a single Baht in compensation.

Great would be a thailandwide boycott against PTT gas stations, but I fear this will just remain a dream...

Are you even aware who owns the majority of PTT? Somehow I do not think Thai's and Thailand wants to boycott PTT

[frankold]

Well.. its gone midnight now. The ptt guy said it would all be cleared up by now, I'm at the edge of my seat to see these pictures of a pristine Ao Prao bay in the morning when the sun comes up

[zaZa9]

Pointing at the slick and wearing life jackets on land (Yes, there is a difference between a tsunami and an oil slick) won't reverse the total incompetency to prevent and deal with this problem. Just another photo op to try and save face.

Yes , wouldnt happen any where else in the world...

[I Like Thai]

UPDATE:

PTTGC rushes to clean up oil slick at Samet island

By English News

BANGKOK, July 29 - PTT Global Chemical Plc (PTTGC) has rushed to clean up the oil slick that washed up on Samet island in the eastern province of Rayong, tainting the beach at Phrao Bay with crude oil leak from a PTTGC transmission pipe.

Porntep Butniphant, Executive Vice President for Refinery and Shared Facilities, said the company mobilised workers and asked for help from the army to send 400 soldiers to help urgently clean up the beach at Phrao Bay after the crude oil slick covered about one kilometre of beach.

It is expected the cleanup operation would be finished today, he said.

Mr Porntep said initial investigation found that the oil slick slipped from the bottom of the booms that used for containing the oil spill so that the spill was washed up into the shore last night.

He said some 5,000 litres of crude oil floated into shore even though the company workers used two tiers of booms to contain the slick.

The PTTGC executive said company staff used the booms to contain crude oil at the mouth of Phrao Bay to limit the affected area and used skimmers to transfer the oil into holding tanks.

As for the oil slick at the beach, he said, workmen used shovels to remove oil soaked sand.

Mr Porntep said PTTGC would eventually rehabilitate the beach to prevent any damage to the eco-system

I have visited on many occasions, tub tim-whitesand beaches mainly At first it was like paradise 30years ago, then the beaches white and clean BUT the mafia seemed to get control, rubbish tips were seen on the mountain roads, smells of burning plastic, Park wardens not doing much but collect toll money to enter the park,started to charge high price for tourist and low price for better off Thai customers. Pity it started to go downhill--business/money greed.

Have fond memories of hols there. The thick oil will never be cleaned up in a day as reported--that person wants certifying. what a shame...

It all started to go wrong from when the first tourists arrived.

[ratcatcher]

Ah, we get the typical TiT bashing comments...

Now let me dig into my memory a bit and throw some spanners around:

Alaska...anyone?

Well, that's quite a long time ago...lets try this one: BP...Gulf of Mexico... Anyone?

Accidents like this happen. Everywhere in the world.. I dare say that the US of A seems to hold first spot on Cluster Xxxxx in this type of accidents....

Yes, it's a serious accident, but if you're only half way sincere, you'd not be driving a car and use public transport or maybe taxis to get around so less oil needs to be refined and less chance for an accident to occur...

Before anyone starts:

- I use taxi's or car-pool with my employees..

- Living oil free is impossible, but you can make a difference by using less..

Schuimpge, I salute you!!! The US of A holds first spot for a lot of other cluster xxxxxxx as well and is always first in pointing fingers as well.

If the photo with people in charge wearing life jackets, pointing at the sand, represents the way this major PTT f%*kup is investigated and punished, we will see one of the PTT directors getting a slap on the wrist along with a ridiculous 2 or 3m Baht fine and the case is closed, while private investors and resort owners along the coast will lose everything and will not get a single Baht in compensation.

Great would be a thailandwide boycott against PTT gas stations, but I fear this will just remain a dream...

Are you even aware who owns the majority of PTT? Somehow I do not think Thai's and Thailand wants to boycott PTT

http://ptt.listedcompany.com/shareholdings.html

Do you know something we don't?

[jamhar]

UPDATE:

PTTGC rushes to clean up oil slick at Samet island

By English News

BANGKOK, July 29 - PTT Global Chemical Plc (PTTGC) has rushed to clean up the oil slick that washed up on Samet island in the eastern province of Rayong, tainting the beach at Phrao Bay with crude oil leak from a PTTGC transmission pipe.

Porntep Butniphant, Executive Vice President for Refinery and Shared Facilities, said the company mobilised workers and asked for help from the army to send 400 soldiers to help urgently clean up the beach at Phrao Bay after the crude oil slick covered about one kilometre of beach.

It is expected the cleanup operation would be finished today, he said.

Mr Porntep said initial investigation found that the oil slick slipped from the bottom of the booms that used for containing the oil spill so that the spill was washed up into the shore last night.

He said some 5,000 litres of crude oil floated into shore even though the company workers used two tiers of booms to contain the slick.

The PTTGC executive said company staff used the booms to contain crude oil at the mouth of Phrao Bay to limit the affected area and used skimmers to transfer the oil into holding tanks.

As for the oil slick at the beach, he said, workmen used shovels to remove oil soaked sand.

Mr Porntep said PTTGC would eventually rehabilitate the beach to prevent any damage to the eco-system

I have visited on many occasions, tub tim-whitesand beaches mainly At first it was like paradise 30years ago, then the beaches white and clean BUT the mafia seemed to get control, rubbish tips were seen on the mountain roads, smells of burning plastic, Park wardens not doing much but collect toll money to enter the park,started to charge high price for tourist and low price for better off Thai customers. Pity it started to go downhill--business/money greed.

Have fond memories of hols there. The thick oil will never be cleaned up in a day as reported--that person wants certifying. what a shame...

It all started to go wrong from when the first tourists arrived.

You mean when humans first settled in thailand?

[chooka]

Really lovely beaches there ruin by pure incompetence, just bury your heads in the sand TIT

Oil spills happen all over the world -- most often in advanced, developed countries.

Why is it that everything that happens here gets the cynical "TIT" label?

Incompetence is incompetence, and it is everywhere.

Yea your right it happened in Australia and the company was PTT. They coped huge fines and a clean up bill and now there operation have to be strictly monitored by Australia

[chooka]

If this pic is from Samed then the situation seems to be really bad. Anyway this pic can actually be done anywhere and does not proof anything.

A a pic with the oil in the background and the beachfront clearly visible would tell a better story...

TAT have announced "This will have no effect on tourism and record numbers are expected for this once in a lifetime experience."