{"id":120646,"date":"2024-03-28T15:12:47","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T15:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chinadialogue.net\/?p=120646"},"modified":"2024-04-23T09:15:07","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T09:15:07","slug":"solutions-sought-for-thailand-oil-spills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/solutions-sought-for-thailand-oil-spills\/","title":{"rendered":"Solutions sought for Thai oil spills"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On 3 September 2023, Thailand experienced its latest major oil spill<\/a> in the Si Racha district of Chonburi province. The leak originated from a tanker owned by Thai Oil, a subsidiary of the state-run conglomerate PTT. Initially estimated at 45,000 litres<\/a>, the company later revised that to 60,000 litres<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oil spills of this magnitude are a recurring problem In Thailand. On 25 January 2022, around 47,000 litres<\/a> of crude spilled from Star Petroleum Refining\u2019s pipeline near Map Ta Phut town in Rayong province, south of Chonburi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between 2015 to 2021, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources documented<\/a> 146 combined instances of oil spills and \u201ctar balls\u201d \u2013 blobs of semi-solid oil on the ocean surface \u2013 across 23 Thai provinces. In 2022 alone, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment reported 22 oil leaks<\/a> in the Gulf of Thailand, mainly near Rayong and Chonburi in eastern Thailand. That same year, Greenpeace Thailand<\/a> noted that over 240 oil spills had been recorded in the country since 1973.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fishers and marine experts warn of the harm such spills are inflicting on marine life and coastal communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Risk of oil spills may be rising<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t believe the recent major leak in Chonburi will be the last; it\u2019s likely to continue,\u201d Krit Silapachai, member of parliament for Rayong from the opposition Move Forward Party, tells China Dialogue. \u201cAs petroleum companies expand production due to growing energy demand, the risks will increase. Without changes to laws and regulations, people will endure ongoing consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silapachai, who is also deputy chair of the Parliament\u2019s Committee on Land, Natural Resources and the Environment, has been monitoring leaks in Chonburi and Rayong. He attributes them to ageing equipment, including pipelines, loading buoys and control systems, some of which have been in service for nearly 30 years. Inspections and maintenance occur only every five years<\/a>, not frequently enough for equipment nearing the end of its useful life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silapachai\u2019s sentiments echo those of a 5 billion baht (US$137.5 million) lawsuit<\/a> filed in January 2023 by 837 villagers and business owners against Star Petroleum Refining (SPRC), Global Chemical which is a subsidiary of PTT, and government agencies. They allege that the oil leaks off Rayong\u2019s coast in January and February 2022 resulted from inadequate maintenance of SPRC\u2019s 27-year-old underwater pipeline\u2019s loading buoys, scheduled for replacement in 2025. Locals seek compensation for the impact on their livelihoods and environmental damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plaintiffs also accuse the companies of mishandling the leaks, particularly through excessive use of dispersant. This reduces the appearance of surface oil but has been shown to be toxic<\/a> to fish. In the February oil spill, the company initially asked for 5,000 litres of dispersant. The Pollution Control Department denied this request before ultimately dispatching<\/a> an unspecified amount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n