Lawsuit threatened over Hua Hin oil spill

[webfact]

Lawsuit Threatened Over Hua Hin Oil Spill (Photos)

By Sasiwan Mokkhasen

Staff Reporter

A crab seen soaked in tar Tuesday after an oil spill came ashore along 10 kilometers of beach at Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.

HUA HIN: -- Swimming was still prohibited at Hua Hin today as the beach was closed to clear up an oil spills while the provincial governor said he is prepared to sue the company responsible for fouling the popular resort beach.

After oil washed up along 10 kilometers of the beach Tuesday afternoon from Hua Hin to Khao Takiab, Prachuap Khiri Khan Gov. Thawee Naritsirikul said he will weigh legal action against the responsible company as soon as the test results determine the source of the spill.

Today around 500 people and government workers gathered for the clean up campaign which was expected to take several days. The slick today was not as thick as yesterday.

After completing an inspection of the shore, a local environmental official said the spill consisted of tar. DNA testing will next determine whether it came from an oil rig, said Jirat Pranprasit of the local Natural Resources and Environment office. However if the oil was dumped or leaked from a passing vessel, he said it would be difficult to trace.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1446025228

-- Khaosod English 2015-10-28

[cockatoowho]

Lawsuit threatened - That is Thai Mafia lingo for pass me the brown envelope and we will make it all go away.

[slapout]

Post reward signs in all Thai ports offering large sums for reporting pollution observed, ordered to do by ship/rig authority, etc of the oceans, Ask for times, amounts, material, location from a verfiable sight point or gps, ships location from instrument usedin ships navigation,etc direction and speed of drift of pollunt substance to a a 24 hour manned phone to take and dispatch immediatly, without higher authorization

From a manned 24 hour a day, facility for equiptment required for ocean and air crew who can be in the air or at search speed on ocean in 30 minutes.

These could also be used for emergenies at sea which are quite common in Thai waters, searchs etc.plus keep troops on alert and give them time of operation of craft to keep current on hours required

Edited October 28, 2015 by slapout

[NCC1701A]

"DNA testing will next determine whether it came from an oil rig..."

or two Burmese workers...

[webfact]

Hua Hin beach oil clean-up begins
Pratch Rujivanarom,
Apichat Hongsakul
The Nation



Navy command warns of more oil heading ashore

HUA HIN: -- A "BIG CLEAN-UP" operation with 500 officials and members of the public was launched yesterday morning after the beach in Prachuap Khiri Khan's Hua Hin district was hit by an oil slick.

As of press time, the Mineral Fuels Department was investigating the origin of the oil.

The slick began washing up along the 10-kilometre stretch of Hua Hin, starting from Khao Takieab beach to the Hua Hin Fishing Pier, since Tuesday evening. With the sand and seawater covered with foul-smelling black oil and garbage, the authorities warned tourists to stay out of the water and away from the beach until it was cleaned.

Apart from dispatching Navy officers to help with the clean up, the Naval Area Command also conducted an aerial survey yesterday and found a three-nautical-mile strip of oil drifting about a mile off the coast and looks poised to hit the shore soon. Command chief Vice Admiral Rangsarit Sattayanukul said the oil slick might stem from oil released by a commercial vessel.

Hua Hin Mayor Nopporn Wuttikul said the Hua Hin Municipality-led cleaning operation managed to clean the entire beach by the afternoon, as the amount of oil leaked was not very much.

Police complaint

However, Prachuap Khiri Khan governor Thawee Narisirkul, who also joined the "big clean-up" event, said that if no more oil washed ashore in the next day or two, people would be allowed to go into the sea again. Following the governor's instructions, the Hua Hin mayor later filed a complaint, so those behind the oil leak are punished.

So far though, the source of the oil slick remains unknown, and Veerasak Pungrassamee, acting director of the Mineral Fuels Department, said a team from SGS Thailand has been dispatched to collect samples for testing in a bid to work out the mystery.

"The oil slick samples from Hua Hin will be carefully compared with the oil from the Gulf of Thailand to determine whether it came from an oil rig in the area. It will take four to six weeks for the test results to be released," he added.

Veerasak added that the department has already checked on petroleum production, exploration and transportation operations in the Gulf and not found any oil leakage during that time.

As for the ecological impact, marine ecology expert Thon Thamrongnawasawat who also monitored the clean-up operation said only marine animals that live on the beach such as ghost crabs would be directly affected.

"I can see that only a small amount of the oil was on the beach, so it has not really had a significant impact on the marine ecology. However, some of the oil may seep into deeper layers of the sand and may have a greater environmental impact," Thon said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Hua-Hin-beach-oil-clean-up-begins-30271822.html


-- The Nation 2015-10-29

[webfact]

More oil slicks spotted off Hua Hin beach



HUA HIN: -- Patches of oil slicks have been located about one kilometer from the shoreline of Hua Hin and officials expect that they will be swept on the beaches soon, said the first region’s naval fleet.

The fleet sent a plane to patrol the sea off Prachuab Khiri Khan on Wednesday at the request of the provincial administration and the airmen reported seeing several patches of oil slicks floating in the sea about one kilometer from the shoreline of Hua Hin.

One black patch of oil slick is about 4 kilometres long and some patches are transparent and Hua Hin beaches are expected to be hit by the oil slicks once again, said officials.

It was reported that the navy had instructed the public disaster relief centre of the first region’s naval fleet to try to get rid of the floating oil slicks to prevent them from spreading.

Naval officials have also been deployed to help clean up the beach.

Mr Nopporn Wutthikul, Hua Hin mayor, today lodged a complaint with police in Hua Hin against the unknown perpetrator for spilling oil into the sea and causing havoc to the environment.

It is still not known which party was responsible for causing the oil spills although freighters plying the sea there have been blamed as the culprit.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/more-oil-slicks-spotted-off-hua-hin-beach

-- Thai PBS 2015-10-29

[Lampang2]

You can track the vessel with satellite photos.

Probably don't want to mess with the lshipping industry and forgets it.

[shirtless]

Im personally very tired of seeing the world ruined by greedy operators and corporations ,

[ChrisY1]

If it's a vessel that spilled, and it more than likely was, then it long gone. An oil rig spill would probably have been sighted some time ago and reported by local fishermen.....it would appear that this spill happened very recently.

It's almost another example of Thailand' lack of duty of care for anything or anyone......

[ClutchClark]

This could be a result of translation but the quote from the environmental officer thst the substsnce is "tar" is most likely incorrect.

Tar has a specific gravity heavier than seawater and does not float.

However, as the volatiles of lighter substances evaporate then it does become more of a tar-like substance.

I am just tsking an educated guess here but this product washing onto the beaches was not likely "tar".

Edited October 28, 2015 by ClutchClark

[ClutchClark]

If it's a vessel that spilled, and it more than likely was, then it long gone. An oil rig spill would probably have been sighted some time ago and reported by local fishermen.....it would appear that this spill happened very recently.

It's almost another example of Thailand' lack of duty of care for anything or anyone......

These types of occurances do happen in first world countries as well...but there is typically a Spill Response Protocol to mitigate environmental damage as quickly as possible.

Its certainly unfortunate that a country which relies so heavily on its oceans and waterways for a revenue source and subsistence of the Thai people is so unprepared for this type of event.

But I would not be surprised if unscrupulous shippers consider Thailand's lack of enforcement and historic indifference which you mention as a sort of green light ;-(

Edited October 29, 2015 by ClutchClark

[ameadi]

Just criticism. Go and help

[SOTIRIOS]

...you would think that they would be patrolling regularly anyway...

...so as for 'not knowing'.....come on.....

[soalbundy]

...you would think that they would be patrolling regularly anyway...

...so as for 'not knowing'.....come on.....

where is the navy when you need them ? On land arresting illegal immigrants because they don't have submarines.

[ClutchClark]

Just criticism. Go and help

I would not go near the contaminent without proper PPE including rubber boots, tyvek or raingear, rubber gloves, eye protection...and even then only if an First Aid tent was present which included an eye-wash station and oxygen since the toxicity of the substsnce has not yet been identified or whether it is an inhalation hazard.

Or better yet...a submarine !

Edited October 29, 2015 by ClutchClark

[kiwikeith]

You can track the vessel with satellite photos.

Probably don't want to mess with the lshipping industry and forgets it.

Exactly I posted this on the old thread a few minutes ago, scumbag foreign flagged vessels discharging bilge water (the water in the bilge below the engine room) water because they are to mean to pay port fees to discharge properly in port.

Then again why aren't booms being put in place now????

[FangFerang]

Er, if we can figure out how this happened, and, um, test the oil to prove that it's oil, and unique oil, since each ship has different oil, then we, um, will think about suing whoever did it, and drag out prosecutions and appeals, when we catch them, which we can't.

[HerbalEd]

Lawsuit threatened - That is Thai Mafia lingo for pass me the brown envelope and we will make it all go away.

There's no fooling you.

[roo860]

Post reward signs in all Thai ports offering large sums for reporting pollution observed, ordered to do by ship/rig authority, etc of the oceans, Ask for times, amounts, material, location from a verfiable sight point or gps, ships location from instrument usedin ships navigation,etc direction and speed of drift of pollunt substance to a a 24 hour manned phone to take and dispatch immediatly, without higher authorization

From a manned 24 hour a day, facility for equiptment required for ocean and air crew who can be in the air or at search speed on ocean in 30 minutes.

These could also be used for emergenies at sea which are quite common in Thai waters, searchs etc.plus keep troops on alert and give them time of operation of craft to keep current on hours required

Dream on pal!!!

[WhizBang]

Thawee Naritsirikul said he will weigh legal action against the responsible company as soon as the test results determine the source of the spill.

So they want to sue somebody... anybody... but so far, have no clue as to the source.

Would it not be better to want until you know who/what is the source of the oil, and then announce the lawsuit. Or better yet, file a lawsuit with the courts.

[elgordo38]

Even a reward will not solve this one this ship has already sailed.

[webfact]

Oil slick on the beach of Hua Hin removed

HUA HIN, 30 October 2015 (NNT)-Oil slick in the beach town of Hua Hin has already been removed from the beach.

Hua Hin Chief Suthipong Khlai-udom said the beach has already been cleared after a big cleaning day was held. Local authorities and members of the private sector in Hua Hin have joined hands in removing the oil slick.

Tourists are now able to return to the beach. The Environment Office, Region 8 is currently running a lab test on oil slick samples taken from the site. The results are expected to be revealed mid-November.

Mr. Suthipong said even though the news has led to some hotel and resort room cancellations, the recent swift effort to clean the beach will bring back tourists’ confidence in Hua Hin’s environment.

Fishermen and local residents have been encouraged to help prevent damage to the sea by reporting to the authorities any attempt to dump waste oil into the sea.

-- NNT 2015-10-30

[impulse]

Even a reward will not solve this one this ship has already sailed.

Maybe not. All commercial ships should have an AIS tracker, on at all times. Not too tough to look back over the recordings.