Body and 9 sailors found alive by oil tanker are not from HTMS Sukhothai, says navy

UPDATE 2

The Royal Thai Navy says the nine sailors found alive and one dead body discovered by an oil tanker in the Gulf of Thailand are not crew members from the HTMS Sukhothai which sank off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan province last night as widely reported in Thai media.

At least four boats sank in Thailand’s waters among four-metre-high waves and strong winds today and yesterday.

Oil tanker PATARAVARIN 88 pulled nine exhausted sailors and one body from the sea today near the coast of Chumphon province. Thai media reported that these were members of the sunken HTMS Sukhothai. However, the navy confirms they are sailors from a sunken cargo ship.

Early this morning, several containers fell from a cargo ship carrying rubberwood, causing it to lose balance 5.7 nautical miles from Pak Nam in Chumphon province. At 8.32am, the PATARAVARIN 88 reported pulling the entire 10-member crew, one dead, from the water.

The navy confirms there are still 31 marines missing from the HTMS Sukhothai.

Yesterday, a fishing boat sank around 30 nautical miles southwest of Samae San Island in Chon Buri province yesterday morning. All members of the crew were rescued and taken ashore to Samae San Island.

At around the same time, five fishermen catching squid requested help after their boat sank 19 nautical miles from the mouth of Songkhla Waterway.

The HTMS Sukhothai sank just before midnight with 106 crew members on board.

UPDATE 1

In total, 84 members of the Royal Thai Navy have been rescued from the Gulf of Thailand after the HTMS Sukhothai navy vessel sank to the bottom of the sea last night amid rough conditions.

One body has been recovered and 21 crew members are still missing.

As of noon today, the navy had rescued 75 crew members from the sea, and 31 were still missing.

At 12.40pm, oil tanker PATARAVARIN 88 reported rescuing nine exhausted people from the sea and recovering one body.

The PATARAVARIN 88 has not yet been able to return to shore due to rough conditions and insufficient fuel. The boat remains anchored somewhere near Koh Samet in Chumphon province.

The whereabouts of 21 crew members remain unknown.

ORIGINAL STORY

The Royal Thai Navy‘s HTMS Sukhothai sank in the Gulf of Thailand last night, around 20 miles from the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan province, with 106 navy personnel on board.

Navy vessels, tug boats, and oil tankers rescued 78 crew members from the water, three of whom are in critical condition, and are still searching for 31 missing marines.

The HTMS Sukhothai departed from Sattahip Naval Base in Chon Buri province to perform navy missions in the Gulf of Thailand yesterday afternoon, reports the navy.

After crossing the gulf, the vessel met strong winds and tall waves and began tilting, around 20 nautical miles from Bang Saphan Pier in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.

At around 6pm, the HTMS Sukhothai reported a problem with one of the ship’s two engines. At 7pm, the ship reported via radio that all engines had problems and that the hull was tilting 60-70 degrees, causing water to quickly spill into the boat.

Water flowed into the boat’s electrical system causing a power outage. The crew could no longer control the ship. The vessel stopped communicating after the radio communication room became submerged in seawater.

Another navy ship, the HTMS Kraburi, was heading to port in Prachuap Khiri Khan after aborting missions in the gulf amid three- to four-metre-high waves. The vessel turned around to help rescue crew members as the boat sank. Two nearby oil tankers joined the rescue mission.

At 9.20pm, two tug boats departed from Prachuap Port to rescue marines from the sinking ship. The navy deployed the HTMS Ang Thong, HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej and two helicopters to provide immediate assistance.

The ships were able to rescue 73 people from the water: 47 on the HTMS Kraburi, four on the tug boats, 20 on the Sri Chaiya oil tanker, and two on the Straits Energy oil tanker.

At 10pm, Prachuap Khiri Khan’s provincial governor held an urgent meeting to mobilise more than 20 rescue teams.

By 11.30pm, the HTMS Sukhothai sank to the bottom of the sea, about 19 nautical miles from shore. The ship operated for 36 years.

The search continues for 33 missing navy personnel. The navy confirmed that the ship had enough life jackets.

Yesterday, several ferries and boats were cancelled amid rough conditions in the Gulf of Thailand.