Khun Somwong Meepoon, managing director of Prakarn Kolkarn Shipyard Ltd. of Samut Prakarn has built many types of boats. These include dredgers, fishing boats and, a couple of years ago, a classic seven-meter teak and takien wooden launch for Thailand's Crown Prince. In January, the ISO 9001 certified yard was crowded with
steel dredgers and a pair of wooden fishing boats all in for maintenance and repairs. In position near the shipyard’s office the framing of a new hull sporting an elaborate garland of flowers honored the historic power of the bow stem on a Thai vessel.
This new boat taking shape in a well respected yard is special as it will sever the Thai Department of Fisheries in research to assess fish stocks in Thai waters. At 23.5 by 6 meters, it is the size of many work-a-day Thai fishing boats but it has a relatively small fishhold and extra accommodation spaces for crew and researchers in the deck house and 3.25-meter deep hull. As for a great many of its commercial fishing cousins, the
new research vessel will be powered by a single 600 hp Cummins KTA19 M3. Electrical power for the vessel will be provided by a Cummins 6BT5.9 DM powered 80 kW generator set.
Trawl door davits will be mounted on the stern quarters and a fish-hold will be built into the after deck. Delivery is slated for later this year.