The Thai navy has said that a gas tanker, which sank off the eastern coast of Thailand in 1996, is posing threat to passing ships and should be removed immediately. The sunk tanker still has its cargo of liquefied petroleum gas (lpg) which rose up to the surface recently. Because of its inflammable consignment, the ship could explode if hit by a passing vessel, said captain Yuthana Fakpholngam, the chief of the navy search and rescue centre. He said his division is marking and setting up warning lights around the wreckage and is "urging responsible agencies to cooperate in retrieving the vessel as soon as possible'. Yuthana said an unknown quantity of fuel in the ship is also posing a danger to marine life.