The Marine Department on Sunday said it had not been able to clean up the oil spill from the capsized cruise liner Ocean Dream off Koh Nok in Chon Buri's Si Racha district due to high winds and waves impeding their operations.
In a press statement, the department said the spill evaded oil booms because of strong winds and currents. The rough sea also obstructed the mooring of a suction skimmer close to the Ocean Dream which would help to recover some of the 20 tonnes of spilled oil.
The oil has formed a thin film on the water surface covering about 5.2 square kilometres (two square miles) behind the stricken liner.
Marine officials decided to use 300 litres of chemical dispersants to break up the spillage and speed natural biodegradation.
The wind was blowing in a northeasterly direction, from shore out to sea, causing the oil to move away from the Si Racha and Pattaya coasts.
Officials planned to examine the ship’s fuel pipes to locate and close the part that may be causing the oil spill.
The JC Marine-owned ship capsized at 1am on Saturday. Water gushed into the cruise liner through a hole caused by fatigued steel after it had been left unattended since March 2014. The ship, which had no one on board, started listing early last week and capsized before it could be towed to shore.