Details of the proposal were announced at a meeting held on Tuesday (March 24) at the Phuket Merlin Hotel in Phuket City.
Should the proposal go ahead, the piers to be built will be no more than 100 metres in length and will be able to take boats with less than 500 gross tonnage.
The piers will be used for tourism purposes only and will be designed to enhance the standard of tourist boat piers in the three provinces.
However, Prajiad Aksornthammakul, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Office has raised some concerns over the project.
“I think we might need to create zones for building piers or marinas in Phuket. Where is the safest place to build? There are still many fishermen across Phuket and we have to live with them in harmony. I don't want to see the disputes in the future.
“Also, I think at the next stage it is essential to bring as many Phuket people to get invloved in brainstroming as possible so that problems [which could be faced] will be reduced.
“I would like to suggest that the Marine Department declare a safe zone in Phuket where a pier or marine can be built. I believe this will increase the confidence of investors too,” he said.
This, the first meeting to be held on the proposal, intoduced the idea to government bodies, however, a public hearing on the poposal will be held at a later date.
In the meantime, the Marine Department will try to find a suitable location in Phuket to build a new pier before conducting an IEE (Initial Environmental Examination).