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By Sarinee Prabh
The Nation
Published on September 6, 2010
Phuket - A provincial marine official confirmed yesterday that an oil slick from a boat that sank off Phuket on Saturday appears to have dispersed and no traces remain.
"There is no more spilled oil from the boat," Bhuripat Theerakulpisut, a provincial marine official, said.
The tanker, Choke Tavorn 6, was carrying 40,000 litres when it went down about 10 nautical miles from Chalong bay after being damaged in a storm. All four crew members were rescued without injury.
Bhuripat said he went to the area in the Marine and Coastal Resources Conservation Centre division 5, with an undersea operation team, marine police, and other relevant agencies.
They found there was no more oil leaking from the boat. Marine officials had col-lected samples of water around the sunken boat to study the quality of water.
"At this time, we believe the oil leakage will not cause environmental damage in the sea as the oil slick dispersed very quickly," Bhuripa said.
Officials are now waiting for the best weather condi-tions to salvage the boat, he said, as strong winds had been blowing across the Andaman sea.
Pramuan Nuad-ngarm, owner of the Choke Tavorn 6, said about 25,000 litres of oil remained inside the boat.
Marine and Coastal Resources Research Centre director Wannakiat Tabtimsang said he had sent staff to collect samples of hydrocarbons released from the oil to study whether it would affect the environment and marine life.
Royal Thai Navy division 3's chief of staff Rear Admiral Navin Thananet said the tanker carrying 40,000 litres of oil was a modified fishery boat and legally registered with the authority.
Inside the boat, he said there were four tanks, which could carry 35,000 to 40,000 litres of oil. He said the boat was tied to a buoy to stop it from sinking to the seabed. The oil slick found on the sur-face of the water yesterday morning had leaked from the boat's machinery, not from a tank.
The Royal Thai Navy divi-sion 3 had sent a boat, Laung Rang, and another two vessels from the Marine and Coastal Resources Conservation Centre and Marine Police would collect water samples for testing.
"The team had brought instruments to get rid of the leaked oil, including spray and a buoy. This should be enough to handle the problem," he said.
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