Foreign vessels urged to use AIS in Phuket waters

PHUKET: Phuket Marine Office Director Phuriphat Theerakulpisut has called for all foreign vessels in Phuket waters to use Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracking devices after discovering that an alarming 90 per cent of all foreign vessels around the island are not doing so.

The Phuket Marine Office has discovered that an alarming 90 per cent of all foreign vessels around the island are not using AIS as required. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot

The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) in September last year commanded the Third Naval Area Command to organise boats and ships along the Andaman Coast, from Ranong down to Satun.

The order resulted in the Marine Office announcing within weeks that all cruise boats, motor yachts and sailing yachts must install AIS Class B systems or higher, and the system must be turned on at all times. (See story here.)

Violations of the regulation, brought into effect October 1 last year, “will result in punishment according to the highest law,” warned the order.

Speaking to The Phuket News, Mr Phuriphat said, “We had trust in foreign boat owners that they would adhere to the new regulations, however, we have found that 90pc of foreign owned vessels are not complying with them.

“In view of this, if we find that any vessel does not use an AIS system they will be doing so illegally and will be fined B5,000.”