Regional News
Oil Tanker Sinks, Leaking Oil into the Gulf of Thailand
Thai authorities are working to clean up an oil spill from a small tanker that sunk just southwest of Bangkok in the Gulf of Thailand on Tuesday.
BANGKOK – An oil tanker has sank near the Maha Chai Gulf in Bangkok’s adjacent Samut Sakhon Province on Tuesday, causing an oil spill in the area, Thai News Agency (TNA) has reported.
The tanker sank at about three to four kilometres from the coast of Pak Klong Pramong, causing the oil spill to spread in the whole area, prompting authorities to accelerate spraying dispersant to clean up the area, which has already affected local fishermen.
Director of the 3rd Region Marine Office at the Samut Sakhon Branch, Surachai Burapanontachai, said that the incident happened when the tanker, carrying 30,000-60,000 litres of oil sludge was heading to dock in at the Maha Chai coast.
According to TNA, the oil sludge was transferred from a larger ship and would then be transferred onto trucks and carried to recycling facilities in Bangkok and adjacent Saraburi Province.
The director further said that an interrogation of five crew members on board the tanker, who were safely rescued, initially found that the ship sank because water had filled up its mechanical room although the crew members were able to shut off the water valve before the ship sank.
