Thais scratching their heads as mystery pipe appears on Chumpon beach

Most things that wash up on a beach are usually pretty easy to determine where they might have come from.

But something a little larger than the usual human detritus is causing a big headache down in the south of Thailand.

A week ago a huge near 200 meter long, 14 ton pipe washed ashore at Bang Bert beach between the provinces of Chumpon and Prajuab Khiri Khan.

The engineers believe it to be a pipe that moves oil from one ship to another.

But that is as far as they have got in determining its origin.

The worry is that the pipe contains oil that is beginning to seep out onto the beach and environmentalists want it removed before there is an ecological disaster.

Fortunately the Department of Energy and PTT have come to an agreement to do something and get the pipe removed, reported Thai Rath.

Pictures of engineers securing the pipe and its contents and diggers preparing for its removal were published yesterday a week after villagers noticed the pipe’s arrival.

Thai Visa / Thai Rath

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