Chonburi Governor Assures Control Over Minor Oil Spill, Urges Public to Distinguish Plankton Bloom from Contamination

Chonburi, Thailand – Authorities have swiftly responded to a minor oil spill involving approximately 8,000 liters of Murban crude oil from the VLCC tanker MT Phoenix Jamnagar. The incident occurred at Tier 1 buoy, about 6 kilometers off the coast of Sri Racha, Chonburi, outside the port area. Initial assessments indicate the oil is drifting northward.

A command center was established at Thai Oil Public Company Limited’s engineering operations building to address the situation. The meeting, chaired by Chonburi Governor Thawatchai Srithong, included key officials such as Kritphet Chaichu, Director-General of the Marine Department; Suriya Kittimonthol, Director of Regional Harbor Office 6; Pitak Wattanapongsapisan, Director of the Water Safety and Environment Bureau; Bandit Thammaprajamjit, CEO and Managing Director of Thai Oil; and representatives from the Maritime National Interest Protection Center, Region 1.

Kritphet Chaichu reported that the spill occurred around 1:00 AM on June 6, 2025, amid strong winds exceeding 30 nautical miles per hour between Si Racha and Koh Si Chang. The MT Phoenix Jamnagar, a 160,000-ton tanker, was offloading oil at the Tier 1 buoy when winds reached 50 nautical miles per hour, causing a mooring rope to snap. This shifted the vessel, disconnecting the oil transfer pipe. Although emergency valves were activated, residual oil in the pipe—estimated at 8,000 liters—leaked into the sea. About 3,000 liters were contained within a pre-deployed oil boom, while the remaining 5,000 liters spread as a thin film over an 8-kilometer radius. Thirteen vessels, including those from the government and private operator Sri Racha Tugboat Co., Ltd., are actively cleaning up the spill.

Governor Thawatchai reassured the public that the situation is under control, with containment booms and chemical dispersants deployed to manage the spill. He noted that the oil film drifting toward Koh Si Chang would be treated with aerial chemical spraying by Navy aircraft later today. Compared to a previous 60,000-liter spill that was successfully contained, this incident is minor, and efforts are underway to eliminate all traces of oil by the end of the day. The governor added that no oil will reach tourist areas like Pattaya or Bangsaen.

Additionally, Thawatchai addressed concerns about the sea’s greenish hue, clarifying that it results from a natural plankton bloom, not oil contamination. He urged the public to differentiate between the two to avoid unnecessary panic.