Fishing Boat Capsizes Off Pran Buri, Two Crew Still Missing

Pictures courtesy of Daily News

A fishing boat from Samut Sakhon has capsized in the Gulf of Thailand, leaving two crew members missing five days after the incident, while three others have been rescued. The vessel overturned in waters off Pran Buri, prompting appeals from the boat owner for urgent assistance from state agencies to continue search and recovery efforts.

The owner, Mrs Areey Likitananthapong, 63, from Samut Songkhram, reported that the fishing boat Phornsommkid, measuring 17.61 gross tonnes and equipped with a trawl net, departed from the Pran Buri PIPO control centre on 8 December 2025. Contact with the vessel was lost at 00.17 on 9 December at coordinates latitude 12°19.500’ North and longitude 100°20.500’ East, approximately 49 nautical miles from Khlong Wan Port.

After losing contact, the owner coordinated with the Marine Department’s rescue centre and the Pran Buri water police to request assistance. However, she stated that no official rescue units had yet reached the scene at that stage, raising concerns as time passed without confirmed information on the crew’s condition.

Subsequently, other fishing boats operating in the area reported locating the Phornsommkid capsized around 29 nautical miles offshore. Three crew members who were floating in the sea were rescued by nearby vessels. The missing crew include the skipper, Mr Kriangkrai Khambangphun, aged 56 and a Myanmar national identified as Mr Bee.

Mrs Areey arranged for another fishing boat to attempt towing the submerged vessel back to shore in the Cha-am area. The effort was unsuccessful because the wreck became entangled in shellfish nets belonging to other fishermen and towing it further risked causing damage estimated to be worth millions of baht.

The boat was eventually moved closer to shore and left approximately 20 nautical miles offshore in front of Cha-am Beach. The vessel is now submerged at a depth of about 20–25 metres, with fishing nets tangled around the hull and superstructure, complicating recovery and search operations.

Mrs Areey has called for assistance from relevant authorities, including specialised rescue and diving units such as the Naretuan Camp rescue company. She has requested help to search for the two missing crew members or to conduct underwater operations to check the wheelhouse, where they are believed to have been trapped when the boat sank.

Daily News reported that officials have yet to confirm whether a full-scale underwater search will be launched, but the case remains active as the families await further developments.

Key Takeaways

• A Samut Sakhon fishing boat capsized off Pranburi on 9 December, with two crew still missing after five days.

• Three crew members survived after being rescued by nearby fishing boats at sea.

• The submerged vessel lies 20–25 metres underwater off Cha-am, complicating search and recovery efforts.

 Adapted by Asean Now from Dailynews 2025-12-14