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Sirachai Shin
Arunrugstichai
p h o t o j o u r n a l i s t
Black Goo: Rayong Oil Spill
 A response team member picks up an oil soaked absorbent pad from contaminated beach that is hit by oil spill. |  Large ships tow containment booms in the sea near Koh Samet island to prevent an oil slick on the surface reaching the tourist island. |  A small amount of oil is dispersed by the waves near a boom that is deployed to control the oil spill. |
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 Response team in PPE cleans the beach that is hit by oil spill in front of an oil trap. |  A dead Sand bubbler crab is seen trapped in crude oil on the beach. |  Burrow openings of Sand bubbler crabs (Dotillidae) are seen on the contaminated sand with tire tracks of tractor at a contaminated beach. |
 The response team decked in personal protective equipment fill contaminated sand into plastic bags. |  A common moon crab (Matuta victor) is seen dead on the beach that is hit by oil spill, while a response crew cleans the area. |  Local crab fishers in nearby area rest in a shelter as they are advised to not fish in their usual fishing ground due to the potential effects from the oil spill. |
 A beachside restaurant is seen devoid of people, despite being a popular tourist spots. |  Researchers from Kasetsart University and Department of Marine and Coastal Resources collect samples of sand from the beach in the night during low tide. |  A marine biologist from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources performs a reef assessment to check for signs of impact after the sighting of an oil slick was reported near Koh Samet island. |
Thailand's Pollution Control Department said 180,000 – 200,000 liters of crude oil from a pipeline spill south of the city of Rayong is expected to wash up on beaches in the Khao Laem Ya–Mu Koh Samet Marine National Park. Beaches in the tourist island of Koh Samed are also expected to be badly hit. The Island, which is a popular weekend beach getaway for Bangkok residents, has been battered by hardships arising from Covid-19 and now faces the oil leak disaster at a delicate time when many locations in Thailand are re-opening fully to tourism.
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