Oil spill: PTT vows Samet clean-up

[webfact]

PTT vows Samet clean-up
Watcharapong Thongrung,
Watchara Pussayanawin,
Tinnakorn Chaowachuen
The Nation

A vessel is anchored at Ao Phrao, prepared to ship oil spill-related waste from the bay.

Hit by criticism after oil spill, CEO says firm will take responsibility, operation to end in 2 weeks

BANGKOK: -- In its first press conference since the oil spill on Saturday, PTT Group of Companies officially apologised and promised to complete the clean-up within two weeks in light of growing public opinion against the national oil and gas empire.

Pailin Chuchottaworn, chief executive of PTT Group, yesterday expressed his deep regrets for the crude-oil leak caused by a subsidiary, PTT Global Chemical, and promised the group would take full responsibility for the damage done. "I am truly sorry and apologise for PTTGC's crude-oil leak. I affirm here that the situation will be tackled in a serious manner," he said at the press conference.

Until normalcy returns - probably in two weeks - from today, a real-time webcast will be available at http://iptv.pttplc.com, while other updates can be found at www.pttgroup.com.

The leak took place on July 27, creating an oil slick that washed ashore in a bay of Koh Samet, a major tourist destination in Rayong province. The disaster, though not the most severe in Thailand in terms of volume, has hit a number of business operators on the island and is believed to have already damaged the island's revenue.

Social-media reactions were negative against the company, ranging from reluctance to download new LINE stickers of PTT to criticisms over the group's huge profits. Some winners of PTT's Green Globe Awards also threatened to return them.

As business operators on the island yesterday urged negotiations with PTT for compensation, the group expressed full commitment to such payments as well as to the clean-up and the rehabilitation process, until the affected area returns to its normal condition.

Pailin pleaded for public understanding, saying the oil spill was purely accidental and would be a lesson for the group in stepping up safety measures. He also expressed gratitude to all parties that have supported the cleanup process, in line with the group's Safety, Security, Health and Environment (SSHE) management system. PTT Group said that as a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2012/2013, it was committed to sustainable development, with concerns in economic, social and environmental aspects under best practices.

In the past five days, at least 50 tonnes of dispersant have been used, but Pailin insisted that this would have no lasting impact on the environment. Meanwhile, he acknowledged that it remained difficult to estimate damage from this incident.

Federation of Thai Industries Chairman Payungsak Chartsutipol said the disaster called for precautionary measures at PTTGC. There should be job-safety analysis to prevent recurrences and more contingency plans are necessary for offshore oil transport.

Despite the disaster, he expected no negative impact on the petrochemical industry as a whole, given that each new investment is required to complete Environmental Impact Assessments. Advanced technology can help contain impacts, he said. "Accidents can happen, but operators need tools and plans to cope with the situation."

According to PTTGC president Bowon Vongsinudom, about 70-80 people on Koh Samet fell ill, mostly officials of his company. About 1,000 volunteers have undergone urine tests for physical problems, mostly from the oil fumes.

To restore public confidence, the Energy Ministry on Wednesday announced the establishment of a committee to probe the oil leak. Chaired by Khunying Thongtip Ratanarat, a petroleum expert, industry insiders said they believed the committee would come up with acceptable facts. Other members are Pol General Ek Angsananon, deputy police chief and secretary of the Police Commission, and Kwanruedee Chotichanathaweewong, director of the Thai Environment Institute. They will be joined by other experts.

Energy expert Manoon Siriwan said the committee was neutral. He is convinced that Thongtip, as a veteran academic, can come up with fair judgement despite her closeness to PTT Group in the past.

Thongtip, now 70, was an adviser to PTT in 2005, after retiring as director of the Petroleum Institute of Thailand. Before that, she was a secretary to Her Majesty the Queen, after returning from New Zealand with a master's degree in chemical engineering.

Kurujit Nakornthap, deputy permanent secretary of the Energy Ministry, confirmed Thongtip's neutrality, saying that while working for PTT she often criticised the group.

PTT Group's commitments

_ To provide full support and cooperation to PTTGC in handling onshore and offshore oil slick as well as rehabilitation.

_ To support PTTGC in complying with security, health and environmental standards.

_ To reveal all facts and welcome inspection.

_ To welcome opinions from all parties for the maximum efficiency and effectiveness of rehabilitation.

_ To take full responsibility for the damage and offer best care to those affected.

-- The Nation 2013-08-02

[DocN]

Make sure, they do not only clean up the marginal number, they spouted in the first place!

[jamhar]

Until normalcy returns - probably in two weeks - from today

He must mean "normalcy" for PTT.

I talked to one of the cleanup crew supervisors at Phrao.

He said it would take at least a month to clean up the beach.

And judging by all the stuff that was going on, and the amount of contaminated stuff piled in the parking lot

I say the "month" is an optimistic assessment.

[bigbamboo]

So PTT have promised to clean up their own mess.

That's big of them.

[webfact]

PTT to restore Rayong beaches, environment damaged by oil slick
By English News



BANGKOK, Aug 2 – Executives of embattled PTT Plc and its subsidiary, PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC), have reassured the public that the oil slick in the sea off Rayong has been eradicated and the beaches are now almost oil free.

Pailin Chuchottaworn, PTT chief executive officer, said the situation on the eastern seaboard should be back to normal soon while the provincial administration has set up a special centre to receive complaints from those affected by the oil spill.

Compensation will be made immediately after inspections without having to wait for payment from an insurance company, he said.

He said PTT was suspicious about a patch of 20-40 cubic metres of oil at Phrao Bay which was quite far from the oil leaking site, and buoys have been set afloat to prevent the oil spill from moving ashore.

The oil pipeline pipes could last five years but the company changes them every two years, he said. The pipes can tolerate pressure levels to 27 bars while pressure in transferring oil to a barge is only 8.5 bars, he explained.

He said PTTGC has used 50-70 tonnes of environmentally-friendly chemicals, approved by the Pollution Control Department, to eradicate the slick.

Anon Sirisaengtakin, PTTGC chief executive officer, said the company has allocated a special budget in this year's fourth quarter to pay for the labour, chemicals and restoration of Phrao Bay while compensation alone could be as high as US$50 million.

Energy Minister Pongsak Ruktapongpisal said PTTGC has set up a five-member committee to investigate the slick. All five members are outsiders, not PTTGC employees.

The investigation should take seven days, he said. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2013-08-02

[laurentbkk]

Good luck to them but I think 2 weeks its a bit short ... in my country we had to face the biggest oil slick , Amoco Cadiz in the 70's and Erika in the 90's it took years before all went back to normal , ok it was much more oil true ... let see !

[Thai at Heart]

Is that a "chak vow"....

[Soutpeel]

"industry insiders said they believed the committee would come up with acceptable facts"

"acceptable facts"......Got to love that managment speak.....so one assumes there are acceptable facts and unacceptable facts then ?....I always assumed a fact is a fact...

The oil pipeline pipes could last five years but the company changes them every two years, he said. The pipes can tolerate pressure levels to 27 bars while pressure in transferring oil to a barge is only 8.5 bars, he explained.

This bit seems to confirm it was a transfer hose failure not a "pipeline" failure per se, but of course there is a bit of red herring in this as well, it may not have been the hose that failed but the coupler or a valve has gone pear shaped