One man missing after cargo ship, 2 boats capsize in Gulf of Thailand storm
One fisherman is missing after a cargo ship and two fishing boats sank in the Gulf of Thailand off the coast of Surat Thani on Sunday evening. Stormy conditions in the gulf on Sunday also claimed the HTMS Sukhothai, which sank 300 kilometres north off Prachuap Khiri Khan.
The 4th Marine and Coastal Resources Office launched a search and rescue mission on Sunday afternoon after being alerted that two small fishing boats had sunk in Bandon Bay off Surat Thani.
Office patrol boats were joined by marine police vessels and managed to locate and rescue a man and a woman from the sea. However, a 75-year-old fisherman was still missing when the team called off the search at 5pm in fading light, heavy rain and waves of over 2 metres high.
At 5.45pm, Surat Thani’s Chaiya police station was alerted by local fishermen that a large ship was adrift in rough seas and its crew had fired an SOS red flare.
The stricken Santhad Samut 2 was located drifting 2-3 nautical miles of Chaiya district’s Haad Kamnan Beach. The captain of the cargo ship launched inflatable rafts and all nine crewmembers made it to shore safely. They were taken to Chaiya Hospital for first aid before being transferred to a hospital in Surat Thani’s Muang district.
The boat was transporting 36 containers of para wood to Laem Chabang Port in Chonburi’s Si Racha district.
Samui, Pha-Ngan ferry services suspended
The captain told police that the boat was slammed repeatedly by waves up to 4 metres high, causing the containers to break loose and the ship to capsize.
Bandon Bay is enclosed by Koh Samui and Koh Pha-Ngan, where all ferry services have been suspended until further notice. The Thai Meteorological Department forecasts stormy weather in the area all day today.
