Thai PM orders concerned agencies to handle oil spills

BANGKOK, July 30 (TNA) - Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has ordered agencies concerned, including the Royal Thai Navy and the Ministries of Interior and Natural Resources and Environment, to jointly clear oil spills along Thailand's eastern coast as soon as possible. Yingluck, who is on her official visits to Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda in the Eastern African region from July 28-August 2, 2013, told TNA on Tuesday that she had been informed of last Saturday's oil leak from a pipeline of PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited (PTTGC) at Phrao Bay on Samet Island in Thailand's eastern Rayong province and she had ordered the three agencies, in particular, to help tackle the crux. Yingluck insisted, while staying in Mozambique, that responsible government agencies are to accelerate solving the crude spillover problem and, if necessary, her government may ask for assistance from neighbouring countries in addressing the problem. According to the prime minister, PTTGC's parent company, PTT Public Company Limited (PTT), Thailand’s largest petroleum firm, has confirmed that it will pay for entire costs related to the oil spills. PTTGC reported that the oil leak occurred last early Saturday morning, from one of its pipelines, located about 20 kilometres southeast of the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate in Rayong and the company’s workers had first used oil skimmers to clean up the oil spills on Mae Ramphung Beach and other nearby beaches. But strong winds, tides and waves have pushed the crude spillovers towards the Phrao Bay, resulting in a temporary closure of the tourist bay. Thai Deputy Prime Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi, who is also accompanying the prime minister, proposed that a permanent panel be set up to prevent and handle oil spills and relevant issues in the future. Meanwhile, Energy Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisarn told reporters, following his visit to the crude-spilled area to monitor the clean-up operation, that he believed the clean-up operation at the crude-spilled Phrao Bay should be completed by July 31, as the spillovers have stretched only about 5-6 per cent of Samet Island’s coast and all agencies concerned have expedite their efforts to clear the oil spills from sea surface and to prevent them from spreading to other areas, namely placing more oil booms to contain the crude spills. The energy minister acknowledged that officials concerned will start clearing grease on corals and other affected zones once the clean-up operation completes to restore the Phrao Bay for international tourists. (TNA)