Ferry service

[sallecc]

Are ferry services from Samui to mainland operating normally, or stopped? Just asking for a friends who drove from Phuket to Samui last week, now seems unable to go back, not very clear is it ferry problem or some inter-province sort of lockdown, although none was reported as I know...

[ReLo]

any update ?

 

[islandguy]

Some ferries are running, not all. 

[sallecc]

1 hour ago, islandguy said:

Some ferries are running, not all. 

Thanks, how is Pha Ngan ferry doing?

[Tropicalevo]

16 hours ago, sallecc said:

Thanks, how is Pha Ngan ferry doing?

Reduced service on the Haad Rinn Queen. I was told once per day.

I do not know about the other four ferry companies.

Certainly very few ferries running now. Seas are empty. So are the ferries probably.

[khunPer]

I didn't see the Thong Nai Pan Express today, running from Maenam China Town beach to Phangan, i.e. Haad Rin and with several possible stops up the North Eastern cost to the two Thong Nai Pan-bays.

 

The ferry use to run once daily. A few day ago there were many arriving passengers, which might have been foreigners leaving Phangan.

 

I presume the ferry operaters won't run empty vessels, so there might be numerous cancellations now.

 

The 12:30 Lomprayah catameran ferry for Phangan and Tao and Chumphon remain on the Maenam Pier toady at 12:55 when posting – I can see the pier from my house and hear the ferry when speeding up – so it seems to be cancelled. Lomprayah however only has this notice on their homepage...

Edited March 29, 2020 by khunPer
Image inserted from URL won't show

[islandguy]

Google shows Tapee Pier as being next to Surat town. Does that mean the Lomphraya ferries are not running?

[sallecc]

As I understand, ferry between Phangan and Samui is still running, is this correct?

 

Can tourist from Phangan take ferry to Samui, and fly to Phuket? (Phuket road acess is blocked, flights are still OK)

 

Asking this for friends stranded in Phangan (wishing to fly to Phuket, then to Hong Kong), I'm not familiar with PN & Samui.

 

Edited March 31, 2020 by sallecc

[khunPer]

24 minutes ago, sallecc said:

As I understand, ferry between Phangan and Samui is still running, is this correct?

 

Can tourist from Phangan take ferry to Samui, and fly to Phuket? (Phuket road acess is blocked, flights are still OK)

 

Asking this for friends stranded in Phangan (wishing to fly to Phuket, then to Hong Kong), I'm not familiar with PN & Samui.

You better check with Bangkok Airways, they might have cancelled some or all Samui-Phuket flights.

 

Last mentioned here was that Haad Rin Queen still sail one or a few times a day, Lomprayah may also have a ferry, but the 12:30 departure from Samui seems to be cancelled. You need to check with the ferry-lines, as their homepages don't seem to be upgraded.

[NYGuy816]

Well I strongly suggest that you contact FerrySamui directly so you'd know. Team is helpful and updates have been changing constantly so best to reach out to them. Cheers.

[Tropicalevo]

16 hours ago, sallecc said:

As I understand, ferry between Phangan and Samui is still running, is this correct?

 

Can tourist from Phangan take ferry to Samui, and fly to Phuket? (Phuket road acess is blocked, flights are still OK)

 

Asking this for friends stranded in Phangan (wishing to fly to Phuket, then to Hong Kong), I'm not familiar with PN & Samui.

 

Only one flight to Phuket today and that was 08.00

[RickG16]

On 3/29/2020 at 1:53 PM, khunPer said:

I didn't see the Thong Nai Pan Express

Never even heard of it! How big is the boat (when it is running)? Is it a public service or just run by one of the hotels in Thong Nai Pan?

[khunPer]

2 hours ago, RickG16 said:

Never even heard of it! How big is the boat (when it is running)? Is it a public service or just run by one of the hotels in Thong Nai Pan?

It's one of the original Koh Phangan ferries from old time, landing on Maenam Pier – the pier however disappeared in monsoon storms about two decades ago, some remains was left when I arrived first time in 2001 – now it docks on the beach every day in "the season", which means not sailing during the monoson period, on the beach in front of Maenam China Town, and departs daily at 12-noon, heading for Haad Rin, and up all the small inhabited bays, of which some might still have no real road access, on the north eastern coast line all way up to the two Thong Nai Pan bays.

 

[khunPer]

Today. April 1st, all catamaran ferries stayed at the Lomprayah pier by the temple in Maenam Bay, so seems like Lomprayah has stopped their service.

[Tmoney]

21 hours ago, sallecc said:

As I understand, ferry between Phangan and Samui is still running, is this correct?

 

Can tourist from Phangan take ferry to Samui, and fly to Phuket? (Phuket road acess is blocked, flights are still OK)

 

Asking this for friends stranded in Phangan (wishing to fly to Phuket, then to Hong Kong), I'm not familiar with PN & Samui.

 

There is a flight to Phuket tonight at 18.55

https://www.samuiairportonline.com/flight-status-departures/

 

https://www.bangkokair.com/Announcement/view/bangkok-airways-flight-suspension-table

 

So you may be able to get a flight until April 6th

[RickG16]

32 minutes ago, khunPer said:

It's one of the original Koh Phangan ferries from old time, landing on Maenam Pier – the pier however disappeared in monsoon storms about two decades ago, some remains was left when I arrived first time in 2001 – now it docks on the beach every day in "the season", which means not sailing during the monoson period, on the beach in front of Maenam China Town, and departs daily at 12-noon, heading for Haad Rin, and up all the small inhabited bays, of which some might still have no real road access, on the north eastern coast line all way up to the two Thong Nai Pan bays.

 

Thanks for the info! Nearly always a lot nearer to Thong Sala than Thong Nai Pan, but nice to know.

 

When it goes past the eastern bays does it dock and allow you to hop off, or just goes past?

 

 

[sallecc]

1 hour ago, Tmoney said:

There is a flight to Phuket tonight at 18.55

https://www.samuiairportonline.com/flight-status-departures/

 

https://www.bangkokair.com/Announcement/view/bangkok-airways-flight-suspension-table

 

So you may be able to get a flight until April 6th

 

Yes we are checking all the flights and options (just not very clear about ferry)... Plan for my (HK) girlfriend, stranded in Phangan, is to fly Samui-Phuket in few days, pick up our (HK) son here in Phuket, and they fly Phuket-BKK & BKK-HongKong.

 

Me (EU+HK) will stay with my old parents in Phuket because they (non-EU, non-HK) cannot go back to HK (where they usually stay with us), and no flights to their home country = stranded.

 

Problem is: 1) can she get ferry from Phangan to Samui, and 2) when she fly into Phuket, does she needs to go in 14-day quarantine? (she'll need to go out of 'Arrivals', pick up her kid, and then to 'Departures' to fly to BKK+HKG)

 

Thanks in advance for all knowledgeable inputs guys.

 

Cheers,

Alex

Edited April 1, 2020 by sallecc

[RickG16]

1 hour ago, sallecc said:

 

Yes we are checking all the flights and options (just not very clear about ferry)... Plan for my (HK) girlfriend, stranded in Phangan, is to fly Samui-Phuket in few days, pick up our (HK) son here in Phuket, and they fly Phuket-BKK & BKK-HongKong.

 

Me (EU+HK) will stay with my old parents in Phuket because they (non-EU, non-HK) cannot go back to HK (where they usually stay with us), and no flights to their home country = stranded.

 

Problem is: 1) can she get ferry from Phangan to Samui, and 2) when she fly into Phuket, does she needs to go in 14-day quarantine? (she'll need to go out of 'Arrivals', pick up her kid, and then to 'Departures' to fly to BKK+HKG)

 

Thanks in advance for all knowledgeable inputs guys.

 

Cheers,

Alex

AFAIK there are limited ferry services to Samui. Companies to check out include Raja (car ferries), Lomprayah, Seatran and SongSerm. She could also get the Had Rin Queen to Big Buddha Pier.

 

 

[Tropicalevo]

20 minutes ago, RickG16 said:

AFAIK there are limited ferry services to Samui. Companies to check out include Raja (car ferries), Lomprayah, Seatran and SongSerm. She could also get the Had Rin Queen to Big Buddha Pier.

 

 

There is also Lomlahk high speed boats. They do mostly tours but they also do transfers. I do not know where their point of origin is in KPN but they arrive in Samui at Bangrak or Maenam.

They might be doing some runs within your time-frame. Can be booked via Lomprayah?

Search Lomlahk Kirin.

[RickG16]

22 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

There is also Lomlahk high speed boats. They do mostly tours but they also do transfers. I do not know where their point of origin is in KPN but they arrive in Samui at Bangrak or Maenam.

They might be doing some runs within your time-frame. Can be booked via Lomprayah?

Search Lomlahk Kirin.

I think possibly they go from smaller pier at Thong Sala. 

[RickG16]

2 hours ago, sallecc said:

 

Yes we are checking all the flights and options (just not very clear about ferry)... Plan for my (HK) girlfriend, stranded in Phangan, is to fly Samui-Phuket in few days, pick up our (HK) son here in Phuket, and they fly Phuket-BKK & BKK-HongKong.

 

Me (EU+HK) will stay with my old parents in Phuket because they (non-EU, non-HK) cannot go back to HK (where they usually stay with us), and no flights to their home country = stranded.

 

Problem is: 1) can she get ferry from Phangan to Samui, and 2) when she fly into Phuket, does she needs to go in 14-day quarantine? (she'll need to go out of 'Arrivals', pick up her kid, and then to 'Departures' to fly to BKK+HKG)

 

Thanks in advance for all knowledgeable inputs guys.

 

Cheers,

Alex

If she is going directly to the airport, Seatran or the Had Rin Queen will dock a lot closer than most of the other companies (Raja, Lomprayah etc), which go to Nathon on the other side of Samui.

[sallecc]

45 minutes ago, RickG16 said:

If she is going directly to the airport, Seatran or the Had Rin Queen will dock a lot closer than most of the other companies (Raja, Lomprayah etc), which go to Nathon on the other side of Samui.

 

Seems bigger issue will be if she can go out & back in Phuket airport once she land there, trying to check that...

 

(thanks for your replies about the ferries guys, seems they are still working, first will check Phuket arrival issue)

[khunPer]

6 hours ago, RickG16 said:

Thanks for the info! Nearly always a lot nearer to Thong Sala than Thong Nai Pan, but nice to know.

 

When it goes past the eastern bays does it dock and allow you to hop off, or just goes past?

The ferry stops if there are passengers to let off or on. Sometimes it also bring goods or equipment, but lately we've not seen much of that – I live by the ferry's Samui landing place, so I see it often – might be that access road conditions to remote bays have improved.

[RickG16]

15 minutes ago, khunPer said:

 might be that access road conditions to remote bays have improved.

Don't think so, not in the east. Those bays above Had Rin still take a long time to access by road. 

 

Where is exactly is Chinatown in MaeNam? Is that near where they have Walking Street?

[khunPer]

3 hours ago, RickG16 said:

Don't think so, not in the east. Those bays above Had Rin still take a long time to access by road. 

 

Where is exactly is Chinatown in MaeNam? Is that near where they have Walking Street?

Thanks for your reply, I also have the impression that the northeastern bays are remote, but I don't have local knowledge.

 

Yes, Walking Street is "Chinatown Maenam"...

 

[Tropicalevo]

My staff have just told me that Samui 'closes today'.

No ferries from tomorrow.

This is NOT an official announcement - just local social media

[Tmoney]

Anything that helps preventing the spread is of course a good thing, but how about supplies of fresh foods etc. to supermarkets?

It's likely to cause panic buying and empty shelves, something we have so far avoided here on Samui.

Shipments of that type are bound to be excluded if true.

[Tropicalevo]

I would expect the Raja ferry to be running for that reason. Just not accepting passengers. (Unless of course a small donation was to be made to the Raja pension fund?  ????)

[khunPer]

4 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

My staff have just told me that Samui 'closes today'.

No ferries from tomorrow.

This is NOT an official announcement - just local social media

It's official now:

The mayor of Koh Samui announced today that the popular island will be effectively sealed off from tomorrow, 7th April until 30th April.
 

To pass in or out travellers must have a letter confirming their health from a public hospital in Thailand. This must have been issued within the last 72 hours.
 

Even then virtually anyone can be recommended for government sanctioned quarantine of 14 days if coming from a risky area or they have been in a risky situation.

[khunPer]

We have two ferry threads running, perhaps a moderator should close this one, and let the other thread here be the continued one...