Oil-affected Rayong beach will host Valentine’s Day event to celebrate reopening

Love will conquer all, including an oil spill off the Thai coastline. The Rayong beach where oil reached its shores last month will host a Valentine’s Day event called “Rayong in Love” to celebrate the beach’s reopening.

The event at Mae Ram Phueng Beach will start on Saturday, February 12, and end on Monday, February 14. The Rayong governor said on Monday, Valentine’s Day, there will be a marriage registration service on the beach with souvenirs. He also told local Thai media there would be “fresh, clean, and safe seafood” from local fishermen. There were fears that the fallout from the oil spill would affect the local catch, but tests have been conducted over the past week revealing that fish from the area have not been affected.

The oil spill happened in January when oil leaked from a pipeline owned by Star Petroleum Refining Public Company. The SPRC apologised and took responsibility for the spill on Saturday, though the company disagreed with estimates on how much oil was spilled.

The estimated amount of spilled oil was 50,000 litres, but the firm insisted it was only 47,000 litres. After Rayong authorities and the Royal Navy cleared the oil from the shore, they closed the emergency centre that was in charge of overseeing the cleanup.

During the beginning of the spill, divers checked sea grass, coral reefs, and marine life in Prao Bay and the marine national park. The divers found all these things safe. Meanwhile, local volunteers helped clean oil that washed up on the beach.

SOURCE: The Pattaya News | CNN