3. Results and discussion
Local oil spill monitoring and information centers should be included into the current national oil spill contingency plan (Fig. 3). This is to facilitate emergency responses to oil spill incidents in local areas. Representatives of local communities, private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and governmental agencies in each province (e.g., Sub-district Administrative Organizations, Provincial Administrative Organization, Provincial Marine Office, Provincial Office of Natural Resources and Environment) should participate in the center. The functional roles of local centers are to monitor oil spills, gather oil spill-related information, and prepare the provincial oil spill elimination plan for supporting the agencies with assigned duties for oil spill elimination (i.e., Marine Department) and damage claims (i.e., Pollution Control Department and Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning). Meanwhile, the governmental agencies involved, such as the Marine Department, the Royal Thai Navy, and the Pollution Control Department should support local centers in terms of budget, technology, and knowledge transfers about oil spill prevention and elimination measures, monitor networking, communication tools, etc.