THE navy’s committee on salvaging HTMS 442 Sukhothai corvette that sank in the Gulf of Thailand on Dec. 18 is now choosing a company to urgently raise and return the warship to service with the estimated budget of 100 million baht, Naewna newspaper said this evening (Jan. 11).
The committee, chaired Adm. Adung Phan-iam, commander of the Thai fleet, would have to follow the procedure and get final approval from the Defence Ministry for the expenditure on salvaging the corvette, which sank to a depth of 50 metres about 19 nautical miles from Bang Saphan district, Prachuap Khiri Khan province
There are 12 companies that meet navy’s criteria on raising the warship with the key one being that its condition be maintained so that it could return to service. This means it must not be disassembled or cut up.
These private companies are convinced that the whole warship could be brought to the surface by using effective techniques and equipment such as cranes and buoys.
However some of the equipment would have to be brought in from abroad and this might take some time.
Adm. Adung said no crew or maritime passengers remained on the warship as an order had been given the night it sank to abandon it.
Drivers went down to explore and map out plans to salvage it but they were unable to enter the hull because of a risk of the ship tilting further which would have endangered them.
CAPTION:
HTMS 442 Sukhothai that sank in the Gulf of Thailand on Dec. 18, 2022. Top photo: Sanook.com, Front Page photo: Matichon
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