Marine Department trying to salvage sludge-carrying boat off Samut Sakhon

SAMUT SONGKHRAM, 10 April 2014 (NNT) – The Marine Department on Wednesday kept up its attempt to salvage a sludge-carrying ship which had sunk and spilled some of the oil sludge off the coast of Samut Sakhon.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Wichet Kasemthongsi visited the spill site on Wednesday and asked local community leaders to quickly survey the damage caused by the spill.

The ship was transporting 60,000 liters of sludge to be recycled in Bangkok and Saraburi when it sank, according to Surachai Buraphanonthachai, the lead Marine Department official in the salvage effort.

The spilled sludge has begun to affect aquaculture activities in the Phan Thai Norasing Community located near the spill, as keepers of shellfish farms have been unable to use surrounding seawater to replenish their shellfish cages. Some marine catches made in the area were also found to have been smeared with sludge.


-- NNT 2014-04-10

maybe if the govt made it mandatory for safety inspection on all vehicles whether they are ships, trucks, buses or trains we might see this sort of thing stopping but they will not do it. When you look at any of the ships/barges used by thai companies they are that badly in need of repairs its not funny, problem is that profits are more important than lives/the enviroment. Until such time as the owners of these companies are help responsible for all the damage they cause we will see nothing change.

"Some marine catches made in the area were also found to have been smeared with sludge."

Mai pen rai. A bit of washing up liquid and it'll all look right as rain. On sale in no time.

....spilled 'some'.......can you please be more vague....