Phuket tsunami protection upgrade due by Saturday

PHUKET: A new tsunami detection buoy is on the way to replace the old one located 600 nautical miles northwest of Phuket.

The new buoy, along with the Director of the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) and specialists from the US, set off from Cape Panwa aboard the Royal Thai Navy vessel MV Seafdec at 0800 today.

The 47-million-baht detection buoy replacement mission is expected to take three days.

The old buoy will be lifted out of the water on Friday and the new buoy will be deployed on Saturday.

If everything goes smoothly, MV Seafdec and her crew will be back in Phuket by Sunday.

If successful, the mission will restore Thailand’s direct detection capabilities in time for the fifth anniversary of the December 26, 2004 disaster.

For the latest in our series of stories on the tsunami buoy saga, click here.

— Pimwara Choksakulpan