Phuket: Fuel oil from a sunken cargo ship is impacting tourism. After 19 days of efforts to clean up the fuel oil spill from the sunken Panamanian cargo ship, today the team of experts from the ship's owner began their first day of repairing the leaks. However, strong winds and currents are pushing the oil slick ashore, particularly to Koh Hey, a major tourist destination in Phuket.
According to Thai News Agency, Koh Hey is a famous tourist destination known for its beautiful beaches and shallow water snorkeling spots. However, it is now beginning to be affected by an oil slick. Today, the Maritime Security Command Region 3 and personnel from the Royal Thai Navy Region 3 cleaned up the oil slick that had been washed ashore on Koh Hey. The oil appeared as clumps, some of which had hardened into large chunks, mixed with the sand. It was also found in the shallow waters near the shore.
Overall tourism activity shows that operators are still allowing tourists to swim and relax along the beaches, as well as snorkel in the shallow coral reefs as usual. Thousands of tourists visited Koh Hey. Our news team observed that some tourists stepped on or sat on cooking oil, causing it to stick to their feet, bodies, and clothing.
Business owners attempted to explain the reasons, and although most tourists understood, they admitted to being concerned that it might negatively impact the public's perception and the image of Phuket's tourism in the long term.
Meanwhile, an inspection of the progress of the operation to repair leaks in the Panamanian-flagged cargo ship that sank less than 3 nautical miles from Laem Phromthep, Phuket, revealed that today, the team of experts from the ship's owner's company arrived in Phuket and began the task of repairing the leaks in the ship. This is the first day since the ship sank 19 days ago.
Meanwhile, the Maritime Security Command Region 3 is still dealing with the immediate problem by deploying warships from the Royal Thai Navy Region 3 to clean up the oil slick in the sea. They have been continuously using Disposal Sense chemicals for 19 days to break up and reduce the amount of oil spilled from the vessel.
While the plan to use booms to contain the oil slick before it reaches the shore has recently been found to be feasible due to an insufficient number of booms, the shortage of equipment and tools to prevent oil slicks from reaching the coast is currently a major obstacle to managing this problem.
It is necessary to closely monitor whether currents and winds changing direction could cause the oil spill from the ship to flow ashore to other beaches, such as Rawai Beach and Nai Harn Beach, which are considered economic hubs of Phuket province. Currently, the Phuket Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office has not issued any announcements to close tourist areas on the beaches where the oil spill has been found, nor has it prohibited tourists from swimming. The incident has not yet been declared a disaster area.