Mission to replace detached tsunami warning buoy departs from Phuket

PHUKET: A 10-day mission departed from Phuket late yesterday to replace a tsunami warning buoy in the Indian Ocean.

The original buoy was severed from its anchorage months ago (story here).

National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) Chief Somsak Khaosuwan chaired the mission launch, which is to be carried out by experts on board the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center research vessel MV Seafdec.

“Experts will travel 1,000 nautical miles west to the tsunami-detection unit’s Bottom Pressure Recorder [BPR], which sits on the seafloor at a depth of 3,500 meters at 9º North, 89º East in the Indian Ocean,” he said.

“The team will bring up the BPR to check that it is in working order and change the batteries. They will also install the new buoy.”

The group of experts include staff verified by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US, noted Chief Somsak.

“Tsunami warning systems must be in proper working order at all times. We need constant, up-to-date tsunami data. We cannot afford to miss a warning,” he said.

“We would like everyone to know that we have a good tsunami warning system in place, and the two other buoys still in position in the Andaman Sea are working well.”

— Chutharat Plerin