Tankbåt sjönk utanför Phuket.

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Feulboat sinks off Phuket
PHUKET: A boat carrying 40,000 liters of oil sank in heavy seas off Phuket yesterday, prompting fears of environmental damage if the vessel could not be salvaged in time.

Phuket Marine Police deputy commander Prasert Srikhunrat received a distress call from the crew of Choke Thavorn 6 at about 11am.

The vessel was delivering the oil from a tank farm in Phuket's Wichit district to Koh Racha Yai, about 25 kilometers south of Phuket.

The vessel was foundering in four-meter-high seas about 10 nautical miles south of Rawai village, at the southern tip of Phuket island.

Marine Police vessel Khun Pum (Tor 814) responded to the call.

By the time it arrived, Choke Tavorn 8, a sister vessel of Choke Thavorn 6, had already rescued the four crew members. However nothing could be done to save the vessel, which sank with its 40,000 liters of oil in water estimated to be 30 meters deep.

Officers say they are monitoring the situation and trying to detect signs of leakage, but it is a difficult task given the sea conditions and darkness.

Fishermen are advised to stay in port until the rough offshore conditions improve, Lt Col Prasert said.

The Meteorological Department’s forecast for the 24-hour period starting at 4pm does not auger well for a salvage effort. The report calls for “fairly widespread” rain covering 70% of the province, with isolated heavy rain and Southwesterly winds of 20kmh to 35kmh.


Källa: Phuket Gazette

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Update: Phuket oil spill
PHUKET: As feared 40,000 liters of diesel fuel is leaking from the wreck of Choke Thavorn 6, a small tanker that sunk about 10 kilometers south of Phuket yesterday morning.

The state-run Thai News Agency reported at 1am today that Navy helicopters confirmed a large and growing contamination plume above the site of the wreck, which now sits about 30 meters below the surface.

Prevailing currents appear to be taking the fuel slick out into international waters, it was reported.

More information about the oil slick will be available later this morning when helicopters and patrol vessels will be better able to monitor the situation.

Källa: Phuket Gazette

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Phuket Oil Spill: diesel slick drifting toward Phi Phi Islands
PHUKET: A large plume of diesel fuel emanating from the wreck of the Choke Thavorn 6 fuel tanker that sunk in heavy seas off Phuket yesterday is heading in the general direction of the Phi Phi Islands in Phuket's neighboring province Krabi.

Crew aboard Royal Thai Navy helicopters monitoring the situation told a reporter from the state-run MCOT news agency this morning that the slick is now moving westward.

An earlier report had the plume of pollution moving in a more southerly direction, toward international waters.

Much lighter than seawater, diesel fuel generally evaporates and disperses into water much more quickly than many other types of petrochemicals. Prevailing rough sea conditions will also aid in dispersal.

Diesel floats quickly to the surface, where it forms a thin sheen that may be increasingly difficult to detect over time, especially when seas are rough.

Diesel can be degraded by naturally occurring marine microbes over a course of months, but is among the most toxic oils to marine life that have direct exposure to it in an undiluted form. Fish, invertebrates and seaweed can all be quickly killed.

According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), however, small diesel spills in open water are so rapidly diluted that fish kills have never been reported.

However the NOAA defines a small spill as between about 2,000 and 20,000 liters.

The amount entering the sea off Phuket is reportedly about 40,000 liters.

Källa: Phuket Gazette