The yacht, called Paraty, was caught with its anchor on coral off Koh Racha Yai on Monday (Mar 28), Suchart Ratthanareungsi, Director of the Phuket Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), told The Phuket News.
“I searched for this boat, but there is no information in our database,” he said.
VesselFinder.com shows Paraty’s most recent reported position as northbound in the Malacca Strait on February 25. (See here.)
MarineTraffic.com, however, reports the Paraty’s last recorded position as off Naiharn Beach on March 14. (See here.)
Both boat-tracking websites use AIS locators to report boat positions, which is common practice around the world.
The lack of an updated position for the Paraty indicates that the AIS on the boat is either not functioning or intentionally switched off – both of which are illegal in Thai waters. All foreign-flagged boats in Thai waters are required by law to have their AIS on at all times.
The yacht, 18 metres long and 10m wide, is registered as sailing under the flag of St Vincent & Grenadines, but was shown on the video as flying a courtesy Thai flag off the forestay.
“This boat anchoring on coral is unacceptable. Whoever is responsible for this yacht, please report to the Phuket DMCR office,” Mr Suchart said.
“My request is only that everyone has the right attitude in protecting the environment, with this in mind, the owner should present him or herself to my office.”
Mr Suchart added, “Please remember, the full penalty for anyone found damaging coral in Thailand is a fine of up to B40,000 or up to four years in jail.”