Fishing vessel sinks after collision in Gulf of Thailand
A fishing vessel named W. Suphchanon yesterday collided with a large cargo ship in the Gulf of Thailand, leading to its sinking.
The Royal Thai Navy‘s Second Naval Area Command, in coordination with local officials, launched a rescue mission to aid the nine crew members. The incident occurred around 2am, yesterday, March 9, approximately 70 to 80 miles off the coast of Songkhla and Nakhon Si Thammarat.
The W. Suphchanon, which set sail on March 8, had a crew of nine. The crew included 59 year old captain Weerawat Thaomaei, his 29 year old son, Thanawat Thaomaei, who worked as the ship’s engineer, and 23 year old crew member Watcharapong Kaewkham.
Additionally, there were six crew members from Cambodia and Myanmar. All crew members had undergone the necessary checks and were documented before departing from Pattani province.
Vice Admiral Nares Wongtrakul, Commander of the Second Naval Area, ordered aircraft and naval ships from the Second Naval Base to commence a search operation. By 10am, a helicopter from the base successfully rescued all nine crew members from the sea.
They are currently being transported back to the Second Naval Base in Songkhla, with the helicopter expected to arrive shortly, reported KhaoSod.
Last year, ten Thai crew members were rescued after their cargo ship sank off the coast of Cambodia. The dramatic incident occurred on June 8 between the Vang and Manas islands.
The Thai vessel, which was traveling to Cambodia, unexpectedly sank, putting the crew in grave danger. While the exact cause remains unknown, initial reports indicate that water ingress at the front of the ship may have led to the disaster.
Thanks to the swift action of local government officials and a volunteer rescue team from Sihanoukville, all 10 crew members were safely evacuated. They were transported to Sihanoukville by speedboat and are currently recovering at a hotel near the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, according to a local official in Preah Sihanouk.
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