Superyacht hits bottom off Phuket

PHUKET: Sailors navigating around the south of Phuket are urged to exercise caution after reports surfaced of a 55-meter superyacht hitting an uncharted submerged object in the waters between Rawai Beach and Koh Bon.

“[Members of] the local marine community are reminding boaters of the danger, following a number of incidents which have caused near sinkings,” reported Phuket yachtsman Bob Mott on the international yachting web portal Noonsite (story here).

“The Ao Chalong Yacht Club website advises the approximate location of the submerged object as 5.6NM [nautical miles] from Rawai Beach and 2.43NM from the northern tip of Koh Bon.”

The approximate position of the hazard was given as: 7°45’58.38″N, 98°19’53.58″E

The online Southeast Asia Pilot, a critical cruising guide to Phuket and other ports throughout Asia (story here), reported that the superyacht collision occurred at 5:10pm on April 1 (click here).

The luxury vessel had a draft of 2.6m, but the shallowest points along the edges of the channel are known to draw just 70cm of water during the low Spring tide.

The decimal co-ordinates of the hazard were given as: 07 45.973 / 098 19.893

“Of course, these positions are as reported and are unverified,” a senior editor at the SEA Pilot told the Phuket Gazette.

However, Phuket Marine Office chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut today told the Gazette that his office did not receive a report of the collision and was adamant that no such collision had occurred.

Previous reports affirm, however, that the underwater danger has apparently lurked in the same position for years.

Mr Mott first reported the dangerous obstruction in January 2006 when the 20m aluminum yacht Orion struck the hazard, believed to be a large rock or sunken vessel.

On May 16 that year, the 20m Taipan V required the assistance of the Marine Police to be towed to safety after hitting a submerged hazard at precisely the same location.