The government officials of Thailand stated on Friday that an oil slick off the coast of Thailand was expanding and was approaching beaches on the east coast, which are home to fragile coral and seagrass.
According to Star Petroleum Refining, the operating company, an oil leak from an undersea hose at an offshore mooring point used to load tankers was stopped early Wednesday morning, but not before 140 to 375 barrels of oil, or between 22,000 and 60,000 litres (5,800 to 15,850 gallons), spilled into the Gulf of Thailand.
According to Siam Lawawirojwong, director of Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency’s disasters department, there are now two slicks, one that is about one square kilometre (less than half a square mile) and one that has grown to 47 square kilometres (18 square miles) and is not far behind it.
The major slick is likely to reach an area of coast including the Khao Lam Ya National Park by around 10 p.m., according to the Royal Thai Navy, which has been helping with the cleanup and containment effort. A variety of seabirds and fish can be found in the park.
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