Royal Thai Navy moves to salvage SEALLOYD ARC after cargo ship sinks off Phuket
The Royal Thai Navy is coordinating an operation to recover the Panama-flagged cargo ship SEALLOYD ARC, which sank off Phuket, spilling oil and scattering more than 200 containers at sea.
Vice Admiral Weerudom Muangjeen, Commander of the Third Naval Area Command, said the Royal Thai Navy is working with relevant agencies on plans to salvage the cargo ship SEALLOYD ARC, which sank off the coast of Phuket.
The incident occurred on February 7, when the Panama-flagged vessel, travelling from Malaysia to Bangladesh, capsized in waters off the west of Ko Kaeo Yai, near Promthep Cape. More than 200 containers were reported to have scattered across the sea, and an oil leak was detected, raising concerns about potential impacts on the marine and coastal environment.
The Royal Thai Navy, Phuket’s disaster prevention and mitigation authorities, the marine police, volunteers from the Kusoldharm Phuket Foundation, and Marine and Coastal Resources Office 10 have begun surveying the damage, recovering containers, and containing and removing oil slicks from the vessel.
Authorities also issued a warning to seafarers and vessels to exercise caution when navigating in the area around latitude 7°42′42″ N and longitude 98°16′51.6″ E.
The Third Naval Area Command’s operations centre said it was alerted that the Panama-flagged SEALLOYD ARC had taken on water and sustained damage, leaving the ship listing and at risk of sinking near Ko Kaeo Noi, around 10 nautical miles from the Third Naval Area Command’s pier, with 16 crew members stranded onboard.
Following the report, Vice Admiral Weerudom—also Director of the Region 3 Maritime Enforcement Command Centre—ordered assistance, dispatching a Tor 272 boat and a high-speed patrol boat and coordinating with Naraintorn Khai Muk Phuket Centre to rescue the stranded crew, which was carried out successfully.
