Thai Navy, Thai-MECC Region 1 seize oil tanker in Gulf of Thailand
The tanker was intercepted south of Ko Samet with its Automatic Identification System (AIS) turned off and was escorted to Sattahip for investigation.
- The Royal Thai Navy and Thai-MECC Region 1 seized a Thai-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Thailand as part of a crackdown on illicit fuel smuggling.
- The vessel was intercepted for suspicious behavior, including displaying no name or registration, not flying a national flag, and having its Automatic Identification System (AIS) turned off.
- An investigation revealed suspected violations of the Thai Waters Navigation Act and the illegal employment of five foreign workers from Myanmar and Cambodia.
The Royal Thai Navy’s First Naval Area Command and the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre Region 1 (Thai-MECC Region 1) have detained a Thai-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Thailand for alleged maritime violations, reaffirming a stepped-up crackdown on illicit fuel smuggling and tighter checks on shipments of fuel and military supplies believed to be destined for Cambodia.
The operation was carried out under the Navy’s “Chakrabongse Bhuvanath” operational order aimed at protecting Thailand’s maritime sovereignty, preventing incursions into Thai waters, and safeguarding national maritime interests.
Officials said the mission also focuses on intercepting Thai vessels suspected of smuggling fuel and related materiel.
At a press briefing on Monday (December 29), VAdm Chalermchai Suankaew, Commander of the First Naval Area Command and Director of Thai-MECC Region 1, announced the arrest alongside representatives from the Regional Harbour Department Office (Pattaya Branch) and Sattahip Police Station.
According to authorities, the incident occurred on December 27, when HTMS Prachuap Khiri Khan, patrolling in the Gulf of Thailand, spotted a tanker anchored about 50 nautical miles (around 90 kilometres) south of Koh Samet showing suspicious behaviour.
The vessel allegedly displayed no ship name or registration number, did not fly a national flag, and had switched off its Automatic Identification System (AIS).
The ship was then escorted to Chuk Samet Pier at Sattahip Naval Base for further investigation.
Investigators said the case involves suspected offences under the Thai Waters Navigation Act and the Emergency Decree on the Management of Foreign Workers, after finding five foreign workers, from Myanmar and Cambodia, working on board illegally.
Authorities said details of the fuel shipment remain under investigation, with an expanded probe underway to prosecute all those involved to the fullest extent of the law.
The First Naval Area Command said it has warned smuggling networks and tax evaders that enforcement will be intensified in coordination with Thai-MECC units and partner agencies, including the Excise Department, the Marine Department, and Sattahip Police Station, to protect national interests and ensure tax revenues are not lost.
