Seatran Ferry resumes services on Surat Thani - Koh Pha-ngan route
Ferry services linking the mainland Surat Thani province and the world-famous Pha-ngan island have been resumed after over a decade.
The services offered by Seatran Ferry officially started at 6.30am on Thursday as the ferry left the Don Sak Pier in Surat Thani.
It was full of passengers as many tourists were going to spend their long holidays on the island.
The ferry services between Don Sak and Pha-ngan are available four times a day.
Seatran Ferry managing director Patrakornthong Paitong said that the company started the route between Don Sak and Pha-ngan to help offset its loss over the past few years operating the route between Don Sak and Samui island.
“We hope this additional route will help the company stay afloat,” she said.
The executive said that this route has potential as Pha-ngan has become a world-class tourist destination, thanks to its reputation as the home of full-moon parties. The island’s other selling points include nature and health, she added.
“This route has a bright future,” Patrakornthong said.
Pha-ngan is known for its full moon parties on the beachfront that have attracted tourists from around the world. It is located in the Gulf of Thailand about 80 kilometres offshore and some 15km north of the larger Samui island.
A resident of Pha-ngan island, Jiraroj Panmas described the resumption of the ferry services as “good news” for the island’s residents like him.
“Pha-ngan people will have another choice” when travelling to and from the mainland, he said. In the past, with no direct ferry services from the mainland to Pha-ngan, they had to take a long detour to cross to the island, according to him.
