31 Koh Chang passengers stranded at sea for 6 hours
31 passengers on a ferry heading to Koh Chang in Trat province were stranded at sea for over 6 hours on Monday due to an engine malfunction, the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre (MECC) reported.
The ferry’s captain alerted the centre at around 9 am on Monday, saying that his vessel was dead in the water due to its propeller becoming stuck in a fishing net, resulting in engine failure.
The strong winds and waves in the upper Gulf of Thailand near the eastern province had also blown the ferry about 5 km from the Ferry Centre Point Pier in Laem Ngop district, according to MECC’s lieutenant Jarin Klanmark.
This prompted the centre to ask the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) to dispatch two surveillance boats from HTMS Kantang to provide assistance to the passengers, he said.
The RTN’s Tor 263 and Khor 82 boats reached the stranded ferry at around 3pm to unload passengers, most of whom were Trat locals heading to work on the resort island.
One tourist insisted on staying on the ferry along with the captain and two crews, citing concern about their belongings.
The remaining passengers arrived safely on the surveillance boats at around 4.30pm. They were exhausted and some had suffered seasickness from being on the boat for several hours.
The ferry will be towed to the shore by a fishing boat, Jarin said.
Covering an area of 213 square kilometres, Koh Chang is Thailand’s second biggest island after Phuket and belongs to the Mu Koh Chang National Park, famous for protected coral reefs, diving spots and rich marine life.
