“We are now focusing closer to the Phi Phi area, as that is where the wind and current would have taken them,” Vice-Admiral Sayan Prasongsamrej, Commander of the Third Naval Area, told The Phuket News late this afternoon.
The crew were travelling on a barge carrying construction materials and a backhoe from Ao Makham in Phuket to Koh Racha Yai, about 25 kilometres south of Phuket, when it disappeared in heavy seas with waves of up to four metres. (See story here,)
The crewmen were last reported to be afloat on a makeshift raft of empty drums roped together. (See story here.)
Bad weather stifled the search efforts yesterday, with the Navy today grounding its helicopter in favour of its Dornier search aircraft to continue the hunt for survivors. (See story here.)
Regardless, V/Adm Sayan remained confident that the six men were still alive.
“We have not given up on them. The search goes on,” he said.
His confidence would have been buoyed by quick action today by Naval officers safely recovering the 10 captain and crew from the grounded Cambodian cargo ship at Koh Hei (Coral Island), just five kilometres off Phuket.
The survivors, airlifted to safety by Navy helicopter then brought ashore Phuket by the Marine Police, were taken to the PPAO Hospital in Rassada for treatment of hypothermia.
The captain, Indonesian national Salamet Waluyo, confirmed that his vessel, the stricken Sinaran Andaman, had five Burmese and five Indonesians on board. No Cambodians were on board, as previously reported. The boat is owned by Malaysian company Andaman Unik Sdn Bhd.
While that rescue was underway, the HTMS Chonburi rescued six persons from the sea after their fishing boat, the Unyanumchok, sank some 16 nautical miles off Koh Racha Yai this morning. (See story here.)
Capt Panom Sangjan recalled how his boat was swamped by large waves.
“We were fishing off the east side of Koh Racha Yai. We were caught in the swell all night and this morning,” he said.
“We were on our way to get fuel from another boat at about 8:15 am when we were slammed by a large wave, which flipped our boat over.
“My crew and I grabbed onto a plastic door from the boat and floated for more than three hours before we were rescued at noon,” he said.