Engine oil has begun leaking from a grounded Indonesian palm oil tanker driven ashore by heavy seas in Narathiwat in November and started washing up on Narathat beach on Friday.
The damaged Indonesian vessel Sricadi 151, a palm oil tanker, rests on sand off Narathiwat province on Friday. (Photo by Waedao Harai)
The stern of the vessel Sricadi 151 tanker, that carries 2.7 million litres of palm oil, is awash and apparently punctured by the coastal rocks off the beach in Muang Narathiwat district.
Attempts to salvage the ship over the last three days have been unsuccessful, hampered by strong winds and waves.
Engine oil was spreading in the seawater and giving off strong smell on Friday.
There were no officials monitoring the wreck on Friday and local villagers feared the vessel's palm oil tanks could be breached and leak if the ship was left unattended.
The tanker was seized by Thai authorities off Narathiwat Nov 27 and eight crewmembers who reportedly hijacked it from Indonesia arrested. They were reported to have been selling palm oil off the Pattani and Narathiwat coastline.
Authorities had the tanker anchored about 400 metres off the Narathat beach but strong winds and waves broke it loose and washed up onto the beach, which is popular tourist destination in Narathiwat.