German captain arrested in Phuket over alleged unlicensed luxury yacht tour

A German captain has been arrested on board a luxury sailing yacht in Phuket after authorities uncovered what they described as an illegal tour operation offering high-priced multi-day packages in the Andaman Sea. Investigators said the packages had been advertised widely online and sold to foreign tourists for six-figure sums per person.

The arrest was carried out at about 5pm on March 12, 2026, by officers from Phuket Marine Police, Phuket Tourist Police and the Department of Tourism. Authorities said the operation followed more than five months of surveillance and evidence-gathering into suspected unlicensed tourism activities.

According to investigators, a group of foreigners, including German nationals, had allegedly been organising marine tour packages in the Andaman Sea by using a yacht charter company as a front. In reality, officials said, the operation was selling tourism packages through a website to German travellers, charging fees in the hundreds of thousands of baht per person.

Officers later inspected waters off Phuket and found a suspicious luxury sailing yacht. On board, they found a German man acting as captain. A preliminary check found that the vessel belonged to a company registered as a yacht rental business, but investigators alleged that it had instead been used to run unlicensed tour packages for foreign tourists. Six German tourists were found on board the yacht.

During questioning, the tourists told officers they had booked the trip through a website and had paid the full amount in advance through the company involved. Police said the programme was an 11-day sailing package in the Andaman Sea. Officials added that their investigation found that neither the organiser nor the related company held a licence to operate a tourism business.

Authorities therefore treated the case as the illegal operation of a tour business without a licence and detained those involved for legal action. The suspect was informed of charges of operating a tourism business without a licence under the Tourism Business and Guide Act of 2008, as well as failing to carry the vessel’s licence on board, an offence under Section 150 of the Navigation in Thai Waters Act of 1992.

Investigators said the wider inquiry had also uncovered several other businesses in the area operating in a similar way, including by setting up yacht rental companies or using nominee shareholders as a front before secretly selling tour packages to foreign tourists through websites. Authorities said such practices harm Thai marine tourism operators who conduct their businesses lawfully.

Police said they were continuing to gather evidence and financial information to identify and arrest other operators with similar patterns of conduct. They said the law would be enforced seriously in order to protect legitimate Thai businesses and ensure fairness in the marine tourism industry. The Department of Tourism said the arrest was part of a tougher effort to protect Thailand’s tourism image and tourist safety while preventing visitors from being exploited by illegal operators.

Source and photos: Phuket Public Relations Office