70 tourists rescued after night boat founders off Koh Tao

A NIGHT BOAT travelling from Surat Thani to Koh Tao started taking on water after a pump broke down at dawn today (Dec. 22) with 70 tourists, both foreigners and Thais, safely rescued before it later sank, Matichon newspaper said.

At 6 a.m. Capt. Natthaphon Sinpoonphon, deputy chief of Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre in Surat Thani, was alerted of the night boat, or “sleeping boat”, Sandee Maneesap 111 weighing 114.93 gross tons, foundering but still able to stay afloat approximately 15 nautical miles off Koh Tao.

The boat’s crew had requested help to evacuate the passengers and a pump be quickly installed to drain out the water..

Later the owner of the night boat, Lomprayah Co. Ltd., sent two high speed boats, Phuyai Hor and Baan Diving, to rescue the tourists and help out.

By 9.30 a.m. the first group of 13 tourists were safely taken to Koh Tao and by 11 a.m. all remaining passengers had reached the island.

However the night boat later sank after splitting into two in the middle with Koh Tao police investigating how this occurred.

Surat Thani Meteorological Station forecasts that there will be thunderstorms in 30 percent of this southern province today with northeasterly wind speed being 20-40 kilometres an hour while waves will be two to three metres high but rising above three metres in a rainstorm.

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Tourists being rescued from Sandee Maneesap 111 night boat off Koh Tao after it took on water early this morning, Dec. 22, 2023. All photos: Matichon