Sea rescue operation saves crew of nine from sinking squid boat

Patcharapol Panrak
Nine crewmembers of a fishing boat that was sinking off the coast of Sattahip were pulled from the sea by the crew of a cargo vessel after the Royal Thai Navy sent out a helicopter and surveillance ship to search for the missing boat.
The rescue operation began at 6 p.m. on October 17 when Vice Admiral Chamnong Kittipeerachol, commander-in-chief of the First Fleet of the Royal Thai Fleet at Sattahip alerted Thongchai Bamrungban, deputy chief of Samaesarn Sub-district to the fact that the Thep Anurak squid boat had gone missing. The green boat, 13.2 meters in length, had departed from Chong Samaesarn Pier on October 14 with nine crewmembers on board, and had not yet returned. There was concern that the vessel was in danger, because the weather was poor and there was a high wind.
The last contact with the boat was at Laem Poo Chao, a Royal Thai Navy base, when a reading was given of a latitude of 12 degrees 35.8 minutes north, and a longitude of 100 degrees 38.5 minutes east, which was 21 nautical miles away from Juang Island.
Vice Admiral Chamnong ordered the Specific Flight Division of the First Fleet to change its patrol route and check out the location. The boat was found with its bow submerged, but no crewmembers were seen. Capt Ratsapang Theeraned was given an order to send out surveillance ship No 225, commanded by Lt Sathaporn Payungsuwan along with a Specific Flight Division team of scuba divers.
Setting out from Laem Tien Pier, the surveillance ship took an hour to reach the location through the heavy seas, and found the vessel. By now its stern was also underwater, and other fishing boats had entered the area and were surrounding the stricken vessel. Officers tied a rope from one of the boats to the Thep Anurak to tow it back to the coast.
News was later received of the missing crew members by Rear Admiral Pachon Ramkomut, who is deputy commander-in-chief of the First Fleet of the Royal Thai Fleet and also head of the joint operations team for the management of sea regulations between the Royal Thai Navy and the Republic of Vietnam Navy.
He stated that Jatuwat Thanawathip, operations officer at Laem Chabang Port had advised him that a cargo ship named the Sanclmante, coming from Maptaput Pier, had found nine men floating in the sea. They were found at a latitude of 12 degrees 7 minutes north, and a longitude of 101 degrees 9 minutes east, about 20 nautical miles away from Juang Island. The crewmembers had been rescued and taken onto the ship, which would anchor in Vietnam. There will be joint cooperation with Vietnam to bring the men home.