Thai Navy Rescues All 16 Crew After Cargo Ship Sinks Off Phuket

The Royal Thai Navy has rescued all 16 crew members from a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship that sank off the coast of Phuket on Saturday, February 7.

All crew members were brought ashore safely and no injuries were reported.

The cargo ship, Sealloyd Arc, sent a distress alert at around 3:18 pm local time, reporting that it was taking on water and had developed a severe list.

Thai naval authorities said the vessel was at risk of sinking near Koh Kaew Noi, about 10 nautical miles from the shore, while sailing from Port Klang, Malaysia, to Chattogram, Bangladesh.

Following the alert, the Royal Thai Navy Region 3 Operations Centre launched an immediate rescue operation.

Naval vessels, patrol boats and aircraft were sent to the area, and a multi-agency coordination centre was set up to manage the response and monitor any environmental risks.

All 16 Bangladeshi crew members were evacuated from the ship.

Per reports, eight crew members were first rescued by a local fishing boat, while the remaining eight, including the captain, were picked up by a patrol boat from the Phuket Provincial Administration.

The crew was later transferred safely to shore.

Despite rescue efforts, the 115-metre-long cargo ship, built in 2005 and registered in Panama, continued taking on water and sank at around 9:00 pm local time, about three miles off Phuket’s southern coast.

The vessel, with a displacement of around 4,300 tonnes, was carrying 229 containers, including 14 containers listed as containing hazardous materials.

After the sinking, the Thai Navy deployed a DO-228 maritime patrol aircraft to survey the area and assess the situation.

Additional naval vessels, including HTMS Panyee, HTMS Hua Hin and patrol boat T.114, were also sent to support ongoing operations.

Authorities reported an oil slick about 4.5 miles long and more than one mile wide drifting westward from the sinking site.

Officials said no oil has reached the coastline so far, and efforts are under way to contain the spill and recover floating oil and containers.

Thai authorities have issued navigation warnings and advised vessels to proceed with caution near the incident site, located at latitude 7°42′N and longitude 98°16′E.

Monitoring of the area is continuing, while planning is under way for pollution control measures and a possible salvage operation.

References: thainewsroom,

Source: Maritime Shipping News