Thailand Rushes to Avert Spill After Fatal Accident on Oil Storage Ship

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Authorities in Thailand on Thursday were working to avert a leak from a storage vessel carrying 400,000 barrels of crude oil.

One crew member was killed after seawater entered the hull of the Benchamas 2 when a seal malfunctioned during maintenance earlier this week.

Navy spokesperson Admiral Prokgrong Monthatphalin said multiple agencies were working to recover the body of the dead crewman, fix the leak and avert an oil spill.

"The vessel's condition is safe and weather conditions are not interfering with the rescue operations. However, there is no electricity in the engine room ... it is affecting assessment of the situation," he said in a statement.

Operated by a unit of Chevron, the 25-year-old vessel has a storage capacity of 650,000 barrels and operates at the Benchamas field in Block B8/32 in the Gulf of Thailand.

It is located about 207 km (129 miles) off Sattahip in Chon Buri province, where Thailand has its biggest navy base.

Chevron in a statement expressed sadness at the death of the crew member, a contractor, and said all non-essential personnel were being removed from the vessel.

"The safety of all personnel and the protection of the environment remain our top priorities. We have engaged and notified the relevant authorities and are working with all stakeholders," it said.

A spill from an undersea pipeline operated by Star Petroleum Refining Pcl in the same region in January 2022 leaked an estimated 50,000 liters (13,209 gallons) of oil.

The spill occurred just 20 km (12 miles) off the coast of Rayong province and the slick reached local beaches.


(Reuters - Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng; writing by Martin Petty; editing by Jason Neely)

Categories: Tankers Oil Spill Vessels FSO Asia

Related Stories

Russia's Lukoil Takes Up Gunvor’s Offer for Foreign Assets

Malaysia’s Petronas and Oman’s OQEP Strengthen Oil and Gas Ties

Viridien to Shed More Light on Malaysia’s Offshore Oil and Gas Potential

ABL Secures Rig Moving Assignment with India's ONGC

Vietsovpetro Brings BK-24 Oil Platform Online Two Months Early

Shell’s Brazil-Bound FPSO Starts Taking Shape

Russia Targets 2028 for Sakhalin-3 Gas Project Start Up

DOF Secures Moorings Hook-Up Job in Asia Pacific

Seatrium Signs FLNG Vessel Upgrade Deal for Golar LNG

SBM Offshore’s Jaguar FPSO Enters Drydock in Singapore (Video)

Current News

Russia's Lukoil Takes Up Gunvor’s Offer for Foreign Assets

How Hot Is Your Cable? Understanding Subsea Cable Thermal Performance

Sponsored: UAE Breaks Ground on GW-Scale Renewable Energy Hybrid

Pertamina Joins Petronas in Ultra-Deepwater Asset off Indonesia

Malaysia’s Petronas and Oman’s OQEP Strengthen Oil and Gas Ties

Southeast Asia’s 2GW Cross-Border Offshore Wind Scheme Targets 2034 Buildout

Pharos Energy Kicks Off Drilling Campaign Offshore Vietnam

Viridien to Shed More Light on Malaysia’s Offshore Oil and Gas Potential

US Pressure on India Could Propel Russia's Shadow Oil Exports

Energy Drilling’s EDrill-2 Rig Starts Ops for PTTEP in Gulf of Thailand

Subscribe for AOG Digital E‑News

AOG Digital E-News is the subsea industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email three times per week

https://accounts.newwavemedia.com