Associated Press
Thailand oil slick expected to hit coast, national park
An oil slick off the coast of Thailand continued to expand Friday and was approaching beaches on the east coast, home to fragile coral and seagrass, officials said. The oil leak from an undersea hose at an offshore mooring point used to load tankers was stopped early Wednesday morning, but not before 140 to 375 barrels, or between about 22,000 and 60,000 liters (5,800 to 15,850 gallons), spilled into the Gulf of Thailand, according to Star Petroleum Refining, the operating company. There are now two slicks, a small one about one square kilometer (less than half a square mile) that is closer to the coast and another that has broadened to 47 square kilometers (18 square miles) that is not far behind it, said Siam Lawawirojwong, director of the department that deals with disasters at Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency.