Koh Samet: Phrao Bay oil spill contamination decreases; no longer a danger

[webfact]

Phrao Bay oil spill contamination decreases; no longer a danger
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, March 5 - Contamination caused by the oil spill at Samet Island's Phrao Bay last year has declined to a level that poses no danger to swimming and consumption of seafood, according to an environmental study conducted by Kasetsart University.

The university's Faculty of Fisheries has collected samples of seawater at Phrao Bay and its surrounding areas six months after the oil leakage from a pipeline of the PTT Global Chemical in the sea off the eastern province of Rayong last July, to see the impact on aquatic environment.

Thai and Japanese researchers found that the amount of petroleum hydrocarbons in the seawater has decreased, coral has been rehabilitated and sea animals begin to return to the oil leak-affected areas.

No dangerous contamination has been detected in collected fish and silt, but an amount of petroleum hydrocarbons remain in silt at a certain level and it will take about five years to completely return to normal.

Thorn Thamrongnavasawas, head of the faculty's Department of Marine Science, said the remaining hydrocarbons will not affect tourists and aquatic animals.

However, he said, research will continue for up to seven years to study the accumulation of hydrocarbons in aquatic animals and shells.

He also expressed concern over the so-called "Sea Walker" tours which could cause the silt dispersal and damages to the environment. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2014-03-05

[surangw]

this is measured by world wide standards or "thai standards" ?

[Loles]

Of course "no longer a danger". Who thought other?

[bigbamboo]

Good. Perhaps they should hold the next mobile cabinet meeting on the beach there to prove it.

[noitom]

Whatever happened to the last news that PTT was blaming the problem on faulty manufacture of the pipe? Has anyone read any Thai news follow up on what PTT has done to insure safety and security in the future? What reparations has PTT made to the population and business affected by the damage? Are they still blaming some obscure manufacturer? Why hasn't the Thai press reported any follow up on this?

[webfact]

Samet oil-spill situation better, but 'full recovery may take years'
Pongphon Sarnsamak
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- THE CORAL reefs surrounding Koh Samet's Ao Phrao, a bay that was badly affected by an oil spill in July last year, are showing signs of recovery, with levels of coral bleaching declining, according to the results of a study released yesterday.

Meanwhile, a team of marine scientists from Kasetsart University said the efforts to rehabilitate Ao Phrao would take three to seven years due to the chemical substances remaining in sediment on the seabed in the affected areas.

However, they found that marine animals have returned to the area, with no traces of toxicity in fish samples collected.

Marine Science Department head Assist Prof Thon Thamrongnawaswat, who led a team of scientists studying the area, said that in the six months following the oil spill, the amount of petroleum hydrocarbons in the sand of Ao Phrao Beach had steadily decreased. The coral reefs have generally recovered from acute bleaching stress and begun to return to normal in some areas, the results of ongoing monitoring of Ao Phrao's ecosystem and surrounding natural environment show.

The oil spill occurred while crude oil was being transferred from a PTT Global Chemical offshore pipeline to a tanker at 6.30am on July 27. A gust of wind apparently destabilised the tanker receiving the oil, which caused the pipe to disconnect from the vessel, according to an investigation team led by Khunying Thongtip Ratanarat.

However, Thon said ongoing close monitoring was necessary as bleaching may recur in the near future as a result of global warming. Coral bleaching could become a chronic issue, he said.

Meanwhile, the fish population is within its normal range, and crab and other marine populations have begun to increase.

"Although the environmental conditions have not returned to 100-per-cent normal, we have to continuously monitor the impact on sediments. But their condition is not as critical as many parties initially feared," Thon said.

His team also expressed concern that some ecological-rehabilitation activities being conducted were unnecessary. He urged relevant agencies to wait at least one year after the oil spill to conduct such activities, and to follow clear guidelines, in order to maximise the efficiency of the rehabilitation efforts.

"We are worried that any rehabilitation activities under the sea at Ao Phrao Beach would cause crude-oil sediment located on the seabed to spread, and this would make future recovery efforts harder," he added.

Recently, the team found that some tourism businesses had taken tourists to see marine life under the water at Ao Phrao. These activities had harmed the recovery of coral hit by bleaching, he said.

Thon said his team expected that the recovery efforts at Ao Phrao would take three to seven years.


-- The Nation 2014-03-06

[ginjag]

Whatever happened to the last news that PTT was blaming the problem on faulty manufacture of the pipe? Has anyone read any Thai news follow up on what PTT has done to insure safety and security in the future? What reparations has PTT made to the population and business affected by the damage? Are they still blaming some obscure manufacturer? Why hasn't the Thai press reported any follow up on this?

This is one of the agranoying things about these topics, normally there would be an END product, but the reports only give the first arriving news rarely do we get feedback. Shame no one follows up -maybe it is deemed not important to them here, but westerners expect it.

[sandrabbit]

Whatever happened to the last news that PTT was blaming the problem on faulty manufacture of the pipe? Has anyone read any Thai news follow up on what PTT has done to insure safety and security in the future? What reparations has PTT made to the population and business affected by the damage? Are they still blaming some obscure manufacturer? Why hasn't the Thai press reported any follow up on this?

This is one of the agranoying things about these topics, normally there would be an END product, but the reports only give the first arriving news rarely do we get feedback. Shame no one follows up -maybe it is deemed not important to them here, but westerners expect it.

The local people received compensation last year and that included a lot of people whose businesses weren't affected. PTT put things on like a concert on Mae Ramphung beach for the Bangkok elite and also a seafood festival in the middle of the same beach, not very good and the food stalls were from Rayong city not locals. There were also some turtles released along with shrimp larvae and white snapper hatchlings along with a display from Rayong aquarium which is worth a visit.

[impulse]

Are they still blaming some obscure manufacturer?

Not such an obscure manufacturer, according to initial CNN reports; http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/31/world/asia/thailand-beach-oil-spill.

I do agree with the rest of your points...