Thai Environment Ministry secretary Kasemsant Jinnawaso said relevant marine agencies had held talks on how best to police the region to prevent further mishaps. The new measures will give national marine department officials the powers to inspect boats up to 22kms (12 nautical miles) offshore.
Officers are also empowered to check the boats’ logbooks to ascertain the routes they followed. Mr Jinnawaso said this would enable the department to determine whether a boat had leaked or dumped oil on its journey through the gulf.
He continued by saying it was probably too late to identify the ship responsible for the slick which coated beaches last week. He explained that by the time the mishap had occurred the responsible ship was long gone.
The secretary noted that tests of the oil might help identify where it had come from. A fisherman out at sea near Samut Songkhram claimed he had seen a large vessel dumping oil prior to the incident, but was unable to identify it or give it a name.
Marine officers ramp up boat inspections in the Gulf of Thailand
News in Asia
Thai marine officials say they will increase inspections of shipping in the Gulf of Thailand to ensure they are seaworthy and not leaking oil. The crackdown comes in the wake of a spill which left beaches all the way down the gulf coast from Samut Sakhon to Hua Hin covered in oil.