Raja 4 finally towed back to port – 2 months after capsizing
Two months after capsizing, the Raja 4 ferry has finally been recovered off Samui in the Gulf of Thailand.
Raja Ferry managing director Apichart Chayopas announced that the Raja 4 has been recovered and they managed to tow the vessel back to Donsak port in Surat Thani.
An engineering team would now assess the ferry for damage.
“During the operation, the company strictly enforced environmentally protective measures, including using a screen net, a silt trap and an oil-absorbent boom to make sure there were no effects on the environment,” Apichart said.
The operation went into effect from the beginning of August.
The incident occurred when the Raja 4, carrying a garbage truck and some other vehicles, departed from the Raja Ferry jetty on Koh Samui, heading for Donsak district. The ferry capsized between four islands, about two nautical miles from the Samui pier, with 16 passengers on board (12 crew members, four truck drivers).
Five people lost their lives in the accident.
As for the compressed garbage cubes that went under the surface, all have been retrieved and sent to another company for disposal, he added.