The cargo ship, MV Ayar Linn, left a pier in Ranong on May 29 with seven crew members on board and a full load of consumer goods bound for Myanmar ports.
The crew found water seeping through the bilge of the vessel en route to Mergui after a stop in Kawthaung, prompting the captain, Aung Ngwe Soe, to steer the ship to the nearest beach, Thai MECC 3 reported.
The 100-tonne-gross ship became stranded on corals in Jak bay, at the northern end of Mu Ko Surin in Khura Buri district, Phang Nga.
The MV Ayar Linn was carrying around 7,700 litres of diesel fuel when it ran aground.
While no fuel leak has been reported so far, environmental officials fear that any spill could cause significant damage to the marine ecosystem.
Vice Admiral Suwat Donsakul, Commander of Thai MECC 3, has ordered full-scale readiness to contain a potential oil spill.
HTMS Panyi, a navy tugboat equipped for oil spill recovery, has been deployed with containment booms, oil skimmers and storage tanks to safely remove the remaining fuel from the wreck and assist in salvage operations.
“The aim is to prevent any diesel leakage from reaching the sea, coral reefs, or beaches,” said the vice admiral.
Divers from the Surin Islands Navy and the national park have sealed off the ship’s internal fuel pipelines to prevent leakage. Additional oil containment booms have been requested from the Regional Marine Office to strengthen the cleanup effort.
Preliminary surveys by the Surin Islands National Park show that roughly 150 square metres of corals along a 75-metre path have already been damaged where the ship ran aground.
Park officials said they would pursue legal action for the environmental damage.