Daily Times

Oil washing up on a beach on Thailand’s east coast could be the “nail in the coffin” for pandemic-hit hotels and restaurants, local hospitality businesses said Saturday.

The Thai navy and pollution experts are scrambling to clean up Tuesday night’s spill in the Gulf of Thailand where at least 60 tonnes of crude leaked about 20 kilometres (12 miles) off the coast of Rayong province.

Crews in yellow plastic protective suits were seen at Mae Ram Phueng Beach — about two and a half hours from Bangkok — on Saturday afternoon cleaning up the oil slick which began washing up late the previous night.

Star Petroleum Refining Public Company Limited, the operator of the undersea pipeline that leaked, said it was trying to minimise oil reaching the shoreline using booms.

An aerial surveillance aircraft is monitoring the slick on the sea, and local media reported that satellite imagery on Friday showed a pollution zone of 47 square kilometres.

Marine scientist Thon Thamrongnawasawat said the oil slick is expected to continue to wash up on shore over the coming days due to stronger wind.

People should “definitely avoid” swimming in affected areas, Thon said in a Facebook post.