More than 50,000 liters of crude oil have leaked from a pipeline operated by the PTT Global Public Company, a subsidiary of PTT Public Company Limited (the largest fossil fuel conglomerate in Thailand). One of the areas most affected by the oil spill is a popular tourist destination, the Ao Phrao beach in Ko Samed, Rayong Province. The area was secured as more than 300 workers attempted to clear the once beautiful beach of this black oil. According to Energy Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal, this is the fourth major oil spill in the country’s history.
Greenpeace is calling on the Thai government to review its energy policy and to put an end to oil drilling and exploration in the Gulf of Thailand.
This is just another example of why oil pipeline leaks are inevitable and sure to happen in the United States if the Keystone pipeline is approved and built. Tell President Obama the world doesn’t need another oil spill.
See more photos of the spill below: