Mooring buoys installed off Koh Hei to protect coral reefs

Rawai Municipality and the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) Region Third Area Command at Cape Panwa spearheaded an initiative yesterday to install more mooring buoys off Koh Hei (Coral Island).

The event, held to honour His Majesty the King’s 72nd birthday this Sunday, July 28, was led by Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos and Rear Admiral Suchat Thammapitakwet, Commander of the RTN Region Third Area Command and Director of the Phuket branch of the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Center (Thai-MECC 3).

The primary goal of the project was to lay boat mooring buoys and conduct a beach cleanup at Koh Hei, both aimed at preserving the marine ecosystem and promoting environmental conservation. The installation of these mooring buoys is crucial to prevent the destruction of coral reefs and marine habitats caused by boats dropping anchors.

Local organisations and businesses supported the project, including the Phuket branch of the Tourism Council of Thailand, Andaman Rotary Club, Rawai Beach Rotary Club, and tour boat operators such as Nikorn Marine Co Ltd, Nonthasak Co Ltd, and Bohemian Marine. Indochina Productions (Siam) Co Ltd also participated, along with several other entities.

The project started on April 19 and involved placing mooring buoys at seven strategic points around Koh Hei. These locations included Coral Beach, Krahang Beach, Banana Beach, and four submarine viewing spots behind the island.

Each buoy was securely anchored using four 2-tonne underwater cement bases. Installation work was completed yesterday, July 24.

The equipment used in the activity consisted of 21 2-tonne cement buoy bases, 12 orange floating buoys, and buoy tie-down ropes. The Third Area Command reported that the project was backed by a purchasing budget of 239,000 baht.

The beach cleanup activity saw the participation of 120 individuals from the supporting organisations and Royal Volunteers. They worked together to clean a 500-metre stretch of the east side of Koh Hei beach, collecting a total of 750 kilogrammes of trash, reported Phuket News.