Australian expertise sought for Chalong marina

PHUKET: Australian experts are being sought to help with developing the master plan for the proposed public marina project in Chalong Bay, Vice-Governor Niran Kalayanamit has told the Gazette.

The vice-governor met with Ian Davey, Commercial Consultant for the Australian Embassy in Thailand, on Friday. V/Gov Niran told the Gazette that Mr Davey promised him that a professional consultant would be found for the marina project.

“The Governor expects that the project will be located at Chalong Bay, as it already has a ‘one-stop’ service that allows mariners sailing into Phuket to clear Customs, Immigration and Marine Department procedures in one place,” he said.

“We have already looked at the proposal with marina experts from overseas, and have concluded that this is a good location for berthing boats, even during the monsoon season.

“The current marina capacity in Phuket is not enough to accommodate the high number of boats that are coming here. We believe Australia can provide us with consultants who are experienced in this field,” V/Gov Niran said.

“We already have a plan developed by Thai university professors, but we still want to benefit from the experience of overseas experts from countries such as Australia.

“We asked staff at the Australian embassy to look for marina experts who would be available to do some consulting work for us. They could also provide instruction to government departments that would be connected with the marina.

“After we develop the project’s master plan we will present it to the government for discussion,” the vice-governor said.