INTERNATIONAL: Authorities are rushing to prevent an oil spill in eastern Thailand from damaging fragile corals, after officials have said on January 30 that the leak that began last week was drifting towards more coastal areas.

A beach in eastern Thailand was declared a disaster area on Saturday, as oil leaking from an underwater pipeline in the Gulf of Thailand has continued to wash ashore and blacken the sand, and reaches the beaches of Rayong.

The governor of a province in eastern Thailand on Saturday has declared a state of emergency to assist in the efforts to clean up a beach hit by an oil slick.

The Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Varawut Silpa-archa has said it was crucial to try to prevent the main mass of oil from reaching the shore at Ao Prao, a small bay on Koh Samet, which is a popular resort island.

"If the oil reached inside this area it could impact the beach and cause heavy damage to the shallow water corals," Varawut has said.

The oil began leaking from a pipeline owned by Star Petroleum Refining Public Company Limited (SPRC) late on Tuesday.

Before it was brought under control, an estimated 50,000 liters or 13,209 gallons of oil escaped into the ocean 20 kilometres from the coastline of eastern Thailand.

Mae Ramphueng Beach in Rayong province was declared a disaster area on Saturday after some oil came ashore there late on Friday. The oil spill has spread to cover 67 square kilometres area of the sea. Most of the oil had formed a thin film rather than a thick oil slick.

The navy has said that about 150 SPRC workers and 200 navy personnel had been deployed to clean up the beach and oil boom barriers had been set up. Twelve navy ships and three civilian ships along with a number of aircraft were also working to contain the spill at sea with booms and dispersant spray.