Last Saturday, July 27, about 13,200 gallons (50,000 liters) of crude oil spilled into the Gulf of Thailand, pouring from a leaky pipeline, creating a huge slick miles wide. The oil slick soon began washing ashore on the tourist island of Samet, fouling several popular white sand beaches, and now has spread to nearby smaller islands. Pipeline operator PTT Global Chemical Plc. has apologized and pledges to have the spill cleaned within days, as tourism officials have raised alarms about the sharp drop in tourist dollars. Gathered here are images of the early clean-up work taking place on Thailand's Samet Island.
Oil Spill Blackens Thai Island Beaches
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Read moreThai soldiers wearing biohazard suits pass a pail full of spilled crude oil as cleaning operations continue at Ao Prao Beach on Koh Samet, Rayong, on July 31, 2013. An oil spill that has blackened beaches at the Thai holiday island of Koh Samet was having an extreme impact on tourism and could spread to the coast of the mainland and affect the fishing industry, officials and an environmental group said on Tuesday. #
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Read moreCleaning vessels attempt to clear oil after about 50 tons of crude oil leaked from a pipe into the sea in Rayong province, eastern Thailand, on July 27, 2013. #
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Read moreStreaks of crude oil along the shore of Prao Bay on Samet Island, on July 29, 2013. #
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Read moreThai soldiers take part in a clean-up operation at Ao Prao Beach on Koh Samet, on July 29, 2013. #
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Read moreA Thai soldier shows his gloves covered with oil during a clean-up operation on Koh Samet, on July 29, 2013. #
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Read moreA cleaning vessel works to clears spilled oil in Rayong province, on July 27, 2013. #
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Read moreThai soldiers undertake cleaning operations at Ao Prao Beach on Koh Samet, on July 31, 2013. #
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Read moreA crab covered in oil on Ao Prao Beach, Koh Samet, on July 30, 2013. #
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Read moreA vessel takes part in a clean-up operation near Ao Prao Beach, Koh Samet, on July 30, 2013. #
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Read moreWorkers remove crude oil from a beach on Prao Bay, on July 30, 2013. #
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Read moreA Thai soldier wearing an oil-covered biohazard suit, during clean-up operations on Ao Prao Beach, on July 31, 2013. #
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Read moreThai soldiers work to clean the oil from Ao Prao Beach, on July 31, 2013. #
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Read moreA Thai soldier rolls out a ream of absorbent paper in a clean-up operation on Ao Prao Beach, on July 30, 2013. #
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Read moreThai soldiers during the clean-up operation on Ao Prao Beach, on July 30, 2013. #
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Read moreSoldiers shovel oil-fouled sand from Ao Prao Beach, on July 30, 2013. #
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Read moreOil streaks seawater on Ao Prao Beach, Koh Samet, on July 31, 2013. #
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Read moreA soldier drinks water during the clean-up operation on Ao Prao Beach, on July 30, 2013. #
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Read moreWorkers use buckets to remove crude oil from a beach on Samet Island, on July 30, 2013. #
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Read moreOil clean-up operations continue at Ao Prao Beach, Koh Samet, on July 31, 2013. #
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Read morePiyapong Sopakhon, 13, a volunteer from Koh Samet, wears a plastic bag as he takes part in cleaning operations on Ao Prao Beach, on July 31, 2013. #
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Read moreThai soldiers wearing biohazard scoop spilled crude oil from the waters of Prao Bay, Samet Island, Thailand, on July 31, 2013. #
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