Tell the truth about the country's worst oil spill: Thai editorial

[webfact]

EDITORIAL
Tell the truth about the country's worst oil spill
The Nation

Preservation of the environment and livelihoods are at stake; those responsible must admit guilt and face punishment

BANGKOK: -- Blackened seawater and beaches at Rayong’s tourist island of Koh Samet are a sad sight for many. Images of sea birds soaked with crude oil, and officials and volunteers taking part in a clean-up operation, collecting oil from the once-white beach and turquoise water, remind us of past oil spills.

This latest incident was caused by a leak from an offshore pipeline in the Gulf operated by PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC), a subsidiary of the national petroleum and energy company PTT Plc.

This is the fourth major oil spill in Thailand and the worst in terms of volume, according to the Energy Ministry. PTTGC and some officials estimate that 50,000 litres of crude oil were released into the sea as a result of the leak on Saturday morning. But critics have questioned the estimate, pointing to the size of a large, thin slick of oil floating near Koh Samet in an image taken from a satellite.

The impact on the environment is evident, although there have as yet been no reports of marine animals being killed by the spill. Tourism in Rayong and other Eastern Seaboard provinces is likely to be adversely affected since the incident has been widely covered by the international media. Headlines have included "Paradise lost", "Oil spill blackens Thai beach" and "Thai oil spill reaches tourist resort".

The livelihoods of local residents will also be affected since many rely on Koh Samet's natural beauty and marine resources to making a living.

A further cause for concern is the long-term effect on the environment. Oil spills have a long-lasting impact on the marine environment, affecting marine life both directly and indirectly, according to the New Zealand-based environmental organisation Project Jonah. Oil spills

can significantly reduce the amount of oxygen available for fish and other aquatic life, according to the United States Environmental Protection and Compliance Agency. There are also fears that chemicals used to clean up spilled oil might harm marine creatures and the ecological system, including coral reefs.

Some state officials and PTTGC executives earlier downplayed the effect of the spill. The company's chairman, Prasert Bunsamphan, reportedly said that 50,000 litres of spilled oil was equal to half the volume carried by an oil tanker truck, "which is not much". A PTTGC vice-president, Pornthep Butrsamphan, was quoted as saying he expected no effect on marine life because "oil is a natural substance that is degradable, although it will take some time".

Energy Minister Pongsak Ruktapongpisal has ordered an investigation to determine the cause of the leak. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has ordered a contingency plan drawn up to prevent any recurrence.

More has to be done. The company and the authorities involved cannot attempt to hide the truth from the public. In addition to the cause and amount of damage, the authorities must admit the extent of damage to the environment, the local community and the tourism industry. Legal action must be taken against those responsible so that compensation will be paid to those affected.

There must also be rehabilitation of the affected coastal and marine areas. And the government has to come up with concrete measures to prevent another spill in the future. If another incident like this does happen, there must be an action plan and a quicker response so that the affected area is smaller.


-- The Nation 2013-08-01

[NongKhaiKid]

Tell The Truth ? For goodness sake this is Thailand

[canardo]

Does somebody have seen an updated satellite photo? The latest I know off, is the attached but 2 days old already...

[dcutman]

Does somebody have seen an updated satellite photo? The latest I know off, is the attached but 2 days old already...

The BKK Post appears to have a newer SAT photo. The "spill bigger than it looks" article.

[dcutman]

Does somebody have seen an updated satellite photo? The latest I know off, is the attached but 2 days old already...

The BKK Post appears to have a newer SAT photo. The "spill bigger than it looks" article.

[Bluespunk]

"A PTTGC vice-president, Pornthep Butrsamphan, was quoted as saying he expected no effect on marine life because "oil is a natural substance that is degradable, although it will take some time"."

Well that's alright then, no worries, let it sort itself out, don't bother doing anything!! With idiots like this in charge of PTT no wonder their reports on the oil spill are so full of BS and denial.

[Chao Lao Beach]

Can't wait for Thailand to go Nuclear, nothing will go wrong, TIT

and

"Anon Siriseangtaksin, PTTGC chief executive, said restoration of the affected areas and payments for damage to affected parties will start once the clean-up is complete. If the compensation is more than its insurance coverage of US$50 million, PTTGC will still honour the payment."

​So a company the size of PTT has less than a 2 Million Dollar insurance policy. You have got to be kidding me.

Edited August 1, 2013 by Chao Lao Beach

[arthurboy]

Tell The Truth ? For goodness sake this is Thailand

And there's the rub. We have already heard the usual claims playing this down. As the days go by, it's clear that the oil spill is far more extensive than first claimed, and that the impact on the environment will be worse than first admitted.

As usual, the knee jerk desire to save face took absolute precedence over the logic of doing a real time environmental impact assessment and the deployment of a well planned and rehearsed response before making such stupid claims.

Tell the truth in Thailand? Oxymoron.

Next...

Edited August 1, 2013 by arthurboy

[Soupdragon]

Does somebody have seen an updated satellite photo? The latest I know off, is the attached but 2 days old already...

This link is to a google translation of Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency. (ITD) who are showing daily satellite images of the area.

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dgistda%26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D596&rurl=translate.google.co.th&sl=th&u=http://www.gistda.or.th/gistda_n/index.php/component/content/article/1668&usg=ALkJrhg-eOE099c5hwq2IBVluj8Ar6WnQg

[tomyummer]

Time for good ol' sit-ins and demos at the PTT hq? Just focus towards the directors driving up in their super cars.

[GentlemanJim]

Can't wait for Thailand to go Nuclear, nothing will go wrong, TIT

and

"Anon Siriseangtaksin, PTTGC chief executive, said restoration of the affected areas and payments for damage to affected parties will start once the clean-up is complete. If the compensation is more than its insurance coverage of US$50 million, PTTGC will still honour the payment."

​So a company the size of PTT has less than a 2 Million Dollar insurance policy. You have got to be kidding me.

It says $50 mill US. But that is still an astonishingly small amount when you look at the havoc a large oil spill can do to the environment. How many billions was Deep Water Horizon?

[NongKhaiKid]

Tell The Truth ? For goodness sake this is Thailand

And there's the rub. We have already heard the usual claims playing this down. As the days go by, it's clear that the oil spill is far more extensive than first claimed, and that the impact on the environment will be worse than first admitted.

As usual, the knee jerk desire to save face took absolute precedence over the logic of doing a real time environmental impact assessment and the deployment of a well planned and rehearsed response before making such stupid claims.

Tell the truth in Thailand? Oxymoron.

Next...

Nice One. What'sThai for oxymoron " Hello hansum man " ?

[Ianatlarge]

I venture to suggest, as this can be considered a pro-big business statement coming from me, that things happen, and if there is an oil pipeline somewhere then eventually, at some time, there will be an oil leak. Having said that, just why did the oil leak occur? This needs to be investigated, so as to assign blame and the costs of restitution, to punish those who deserve punishment, and to act as a guide for the future, but before this the clean up needs to be handled speedily and effectively. All of this requires an independent and competent assessment. Not holding my breath (still waiting for the an investigation into the operators of the Fukushima nuclear plant).

[Wavefloater]

Can't wait for Thailand to go Nuclear, nothing will go wrong, TIT

and

"Anon Siriseangtaksin, PTTGC chief executive, said restoration of the affected areas and payments for damage to affected parties will start once the clean-up is complete. If the compensation is more than its insurance coverage of US$50 million, PTTGC will still honour the payment."

​So a company the size of PTT has less than a 2 Million Dollar insurance policy. You have got to be kidding me.

Well, the day that Thailand goes nuclear, is the day that I'm outta here. These people shouldn't even be allowed to say "plutonium" let alone handle it. Between the inappropriate importance of saving face, the terrible education system, the amazing level of government corruption, and the constant "corner cutting" that goes on in the construction industry, there's no way that a disaster isn't guaranteed.

As for the talk of inadequate insurance and paltry fines (of only $200,000) for the Gulf of Mexico disaster, the oil companies (and other powerful friends like the pharmaceutical companies) have bought the US and other country's governments, so the amounts involved will always be ridiculously low.

[Bluespunk]

"A PTTGC vice-president, Pornthep Butrsamphan, was quoted as saying he expected no effect on marine life because "oil is a natural substance that is degradable, although it will take some time"."

Might want to read the following Pornthep

Unprocessed crude oil will decay in time on it's own because it is essentially decayed organic matter, but during the process it is still toxic to living things. The speed and efficiency of how it degrades depends on the amount of oil and a number of biotic and abiotic factors.

The ratio of oil to detritivores (organisms that break down the matter) is the biggest factor that determines the time it takes to degrade. In cases where thousands of gallons of oil are spilled into the ocean, the ratio is low and can take longer. It's estimated that the oil from the Exxon Valdez spill will take over 50 years to degrade.

Scientists constant research the use of bio-degrading bacteria to help oil spills. There are some organisms that "eat" only material found in oil so the populations theoretically reproduce and boom inside the oil, "eat" it all away and then die because there isn't any food left for them.

Edited August 1, 2013 by Bluespunk

[Just1Voice]

This was a typical Thai FUBAR from the onset, were "face", as normal, took precident over "fact". But this one isn't so easily dismissed due to it hitting the iternational press in a big way, so now the mad scramble is on to try and contain it and play it down any way possible.

I read in another source just yesterday that hotels in the area, and those adjacent to it, are being hit with massive cancellations because of this, which is going to add to the already looming economic and biological impact that is going to hit this area.

And, as others have commented: They want to go nuclear?