Navy to the rescue as massive rubbish slick creeps north

The governor of Chumporn province has called in the navy for assistance as a massive ten kilometer rubbish slick crept up the Gulf of Thailand on Thursday.

The slick – ten kilometers long and full of plastic rubbish – had been spotted by fishermen on Wednesday and was widely reported and commented upon in Thai social media, reported Thairath.

Chumporn governor Narong Phonla-iat contacted the Region One navy command to carry out a survey after the slick was seen in Chumporn Bay.

Area navy commander Surasak Metyapha said that a Dornier aircraft was sent to investigate and found that the slick had widened and started to break up in the area off the coast of Bang Saphan, Prajuab Khirikhan province.

It was now located four nautical miles from Koh Talu and about 8 miles offshore.

The Chumporn governor is co-ordinating efforts from many agencies in the state and private sector to attempt to collect the floating

rubbish. Navy ships and divers are also expected to be involved in the clear-up campaign.

And an investigation is underway to discover the source of the rubbish to prevent such events in the future.

Earlier in the week a leading academic in Bangkok slammed the Thai people as some of the worst sea polluters on the planet saying that irresponsible ditching of rubbish is causing untold damage to the environment and marine life.

The Kasetsart University academic called the Thais the “fifth worst sea polluters on the planet”.

Thai Visa / Thairath

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