Thai Dive Boat Sinks in Andaman Sea +20 Rescued
The MV Blue Star, belonging to Chalong Sea Sports, caught fire and sank in Burmese waters while on a week-long dive trip. All 20 or so people on board are safe, though they lost their belongings, and a great deal of expensive dive gear is understood to have gone down with the boat, reports the Phuket Gazette. The Blue Star was a 28-metre live-aboard vessel with 13 cabins capable of accommodating up to 26 passengers. She had a maximum speed on 10 knots. Citing the Finnish principal of Chalong Sea Sports…
Thai Hi-speed Ferry Sunk in Storm-Wrecked Phi Phi Harbour
Heavy seas at Phi Phi Island have sunk a large passenger ferry, beached a cargo boat and heavily damaged at least six speedboats and 20 longtail boats, inform the Phuket Gazette citing Thailand Marine Police officials. The Andaman Jet Wave ferry, moored overnight with no persons on board is registered to carry 250 passengers, but had yet to begin its daily operations of carrying tourists to and from Krabi and Phi Phi when it fell victim to the storm. Strong waves also beached a large cargo ferry, which sustained heavy damage by the pounding of the surf. Source: Phuket Gazette
Thailand Freighter Casualty Under Tow
The Royal Thai Navy today called off its search for the remaining missing crewmen of the Bangladeshi cargo ship 'MV Hope', which almost capsized in heavy seas south of Phuket on Thursday night. Salvage of the vessel proceeding. The news comes after the search yesterday failed to locate any more of the five missing crewmen, reported the Phuket Gazette, citing Capt Thammawat Malaisukkarin, Director of the Naval Civil Affairs. During the search efforts, five Bangladeshi crewmen were rescued by the German container ship Buxmoon.
Bangladesh Freighter Sinks off Thai Holiday Resort
The Bangladeshi freighter 'MV Hope' capsized a short distance south of Phuket with 17 crew rescued and 13 still missing in rough seas. The 97 m in length 'MV Hope', started taking in water in heavy seas at about 1:10am, reports the Phuket Gazette, citing Capt Thammawat Malaisukkarin, Director of [Thai] Naval Civil Affairs. Another Bangladeshi cargo ship, MV Bux Moon, was nearby and rendered assistance, bringing on board 17 people. The Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command, based at Cape Panwa on Phuket’s east coast, dispatched s vessel to search for the missing crew. A helicopter was also on standby but the weather was still too bad for it to take off. Source: Phuket Gazette
