Details of Phuket yacht clampdown clarified

[webfact]

Details of Phuket yacht clampdown clarified
Saran Mitrarat


Cruising around Phang Nga Bay dropping the hook in secluded bays may no longer be as carefree as it once was. Photo Iris

PHUKET: -- The director of the Phuket Marine Office (PMO), Phuripat Theerakulpisut, yesterday (September 10) gave more details of two shock announcements that have reverberated through the marine leisure industry and among yacht owners in the past few days.

One announcement ordered all yachts moored or anchored in Ao Yon to move out immediately. The other stipulated that , all foreign-flagged yachts must be equipped with AIS tracking devices.

“There are two reasons why we focused on Ao Yon," he explained at a meeting at the Royal Phuket Marina. "One is that it is near the navy base and the other is that we found there were a lot of yachts moored there with no owner in sight.

“This is our main problem -- that we couldn't find the owners. Sometimes they leave boats there and go back to their home country, and we don't even know who they are.

"This motivated us to ban all yachts [Thai and foreign-flag] from Ao Yon. Any yachts left, whose owners we cannot identify, will be seized,” he explained.

Temporary mooring or anchoring is still allowed – but not for long periods, he said, “I can't say exactly how long that would be but, for me, temporary means no more than 10 days or so.”

This rule affects both Thai-flag yachts or foreign-flag yachts, he added.

“Please note that, once you have registered [your foreign-flag boat] at the Chalong one stop service, you have to tell Immigration officers about all your destinations around Phuket. The job of my department is just to check boats in and out,” Mr Phuripat said.

He stressed that boats staying long term may stay in only to places: Chalong Bay or a registered private marina.

“Chalong Bay is just a check-in point for boats. Sometime you can leave a boat there, but at other times they may be no moorings available, so private marinas are a better option.”

Asked about criticisms of safety at Chalong, with shifting sandbanks, mooring that move, thieves and heavy traffic, he acknowledged, “These are problems we are also concerned about.

“I am waiting for budget approval [to get more moorings] but it is so hard to get." With a laugh, he added, "If this were my own company, I would invest money to make it comfortable for all boats coming to Phuket.”

Asked about anchoring in favourite bays such as Patong, Kata, Karon or Nai Harn, Mr Phuripat answered, “Actually, no one anchors there for long in the heavy waves and wind at this time of year.

"Most yachts stopping there are cruising, so they stay there temporarily. Our real concern is people who leave yachts [long-term] without no one to look after them."

He also clarified the rules on Automatic Identification System (AIS) equipment for lesiure and cruise boats.

First he said, “Any foreign-flag cruise boat, motor yacht or sailing yacht coming into Phuket by sea must install an AIS system.”

Asked for a definition of "yacht" he said it was any leisure craft. Pressed on the point -- how small does a boat have to be not to qualify as a yacht? -- he repeated that any non-Thai-registered boat coming into Phuket waters by sea would have to comply.

This appears to mean that if one were to sail a Laser or Sunfish from Malaysia, for example, it would be required, on arrival in Phuket, to have an AIS installed.

“I believe that most foreign-flag boats probably already have AIS," he said. "If they don't, we can be flexible. Once they have checked in at the Chalong One-Stop Centre, we will give them 10 days to get the AIS installed and recorded in our system."

As for Thai-flagged boats, the rule is less stringent. Only boats large enough to carry 25 or more passengers must have AIS installed, and not immediately. They will have one year to install AIS once the details have been announced.

That said, boats of this size registering for a Thai flag for the first time must have AIS in order to be registered, Mr Phuripat said.

The original announcement to foreign-flag boats stated that the AIS must be turned on at all times. Mr Phuripat said that this meant it must be turned on at all times when the boat is underway, not when it is at rest.

But he warned that the penalty for not installing an AIS system could be a jail sentence of up to six months.

“Once we have succeeded [in having the leisure industry install AIS] we will begin considering AIS installation for fishing boats,” he added.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/details-of-phuket-yacht-clampdown-clarified-48680.php


-- Phuket News 2014-09-11

[Tywais]

This appears to mean that if one were to sail a Laser or Sunfish

That's going a bit overboard I would say.

[cloudhopper]

This appears to mean that if one were to sail a Laser or Sunfish

That's going a bit overboard I would say.

Yeah it's 120 miles but there are lots of 20-30' boats making that trip.

Well I'm surprised they went ahead with that; maybe lots of foreign flagged yachts will be checking out soon rather than complying. I have no idea how many cruising yachts typically have AIS transceivers these days but I usually see very few on the aggregator displays.

[NomadJoe]

Some friends and I had once considered buying a ski boat here for weekend use around the island. Sounds like we would need one of these AIS thingys even for that.

"“Once we have succeeded [in having the leisure industry install AIS] we will begin considering AIS installation for fishing boats,” he added."

That would be a great idea, since they are regularly trawling or fishing inside the marine parks and protected sanctuaries.

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

As for Thai-flagged boats, the rule is less stringent. Only boats large enough to carry 25 or more passengers must have AIS installed, and not immediately.

And they wonder why foreign investment is down!

[starkey_rich]

Time for TAT to roll out the BS bandwagon on how welcome foreign boats are in Thailand.

This place will be void of any tourists soon apart from the cheap package tour rabble.

[TPI]

See, it's all of the foreign yachts coming here that are making the Thai Navy nervous! If you all have AIS then the Navy won't have to motor all over the place to find you (in case you're being attacked by "pirates"!)

[Jimi007]

Seems like my favorite phrase comes to mind: no brains, no headache. Just a brilliant plan yet again by Phuripat Theerakulpisut, isn't he the one that is still allowing jet skis on the beaches?

[steelepulse]

>>"If this were my own company, I would invest money to make it comfortable for all boats coming to Phuket.”

Hmm, even when it's government money it sure appears to everyone that it's not spent too wisely nor for the comfort of boats coming to Phuket.

[captnhoy]

Speaking from experience, the price of marine electronics in Thailand are usually about double what they sell for in the western world. When quizzed on that, dealers always blame the "import duty". If the duty charged is a high as they say then that is corruption. In any case, prepare for another grab at your funds when you are forced to buy AIS in Thailand because everyone knows we have "too much money". If I still had a boat here I'd weigh anchor. The other thing it reminds me of is that during the 5 years that I did cruise my boat here, the only time I was ever checked for anything was once while at anchor in Chalong. That was just a formality about paperwork and had nothing to do with a safety inspection or even to see if the radio that I bought in Singapore was licensed. So it's a bit like traffic laws IMO - they are on the books but little enforcement is in place.

[NamKangMan]

Seems like my favorite phrase comes to mind: no brains, no headache. Just a brilliant plan yet again by Phuripat Theerakulpisut, isn't he the one that is still allowing jet skis on the beaches?

"isn't he the one that is still allowing jet skis on the beaches?" - not sure, but he's probably the one that has the only AIS sales shop on Phuket.

[stevenl]

Speaking from experience, the price of marine electronics in Thailand are usually about double what they sell for in the western world. When quizzed on that, dealers always blame the "import duty". If the duty charged is a high as they say then that is corruption. In any case, prepare for another grab at your funds when you are forced to buy AIS in Thailand because everyone knows we have "too much money". If I still had a boat here I'd weigh anchor. The other thing it reminds me of is that during the 5 years that I did cruise my boat here, the only time I was ever checked for anything was once while at anchor in Chalong. That was just a formality about paperwork and had nothing to do with a safety inspection or even to see if the radio that I bought in Singapore was licensed. So it's a bit like traffic laws IMO - they are on the books but little enforcement is in place.

Huh? Import duties are corruption?

[Plutojames88]

As a marine person , I don't have issues with this.

The more regulation the better.

If they can make basic fundamental outlawing of operators ,who ply their trade largely illegally fleecing westerners with deception and criminal activity eg uninsured Jet ski hire etc ...this law would seem to be more in line with reality.

Thailand is not so safe anymore ...this law is in my view a smart move.

And I am a critic of Junta where they seem unjust.

[captnhoy]

Speaking from experience, the price of marine electronics in Thailand are usually about double what they sell for in the western world. When quizzed on that, dealers always blame the "import duty". If the duty charged is a high as they say then that is corruption. In any case, prepare for another grab at your funds when you are forced to buy AIS in Thailand because everyone knows we have "too much money". If I still had a boat here I'd weigh anchor. The other thing it reminds me of is that during the 5 years that I did cruise my boat here, the only time I was ever checked for anything was once while at anchor in Chalong. That was just a formality about paperwork and had nothing to do with a safety inspection or even to see if the radio that I bought in Singapore was licensed. So it's a bit like traffic laws IMO - they are on the books but little enforcement is in place.

Huh? Import duties are corruption?

Import duties are not twice the price of the product. Sorry that was not clear for you. The implication since you seem to need it spelled out is that IF the sales shop is paying double the sales price of the product in import duties then they are being overcharged. If true, that would be corruption. What seems more likely though is that sales shops prefer a greatly inflated profit margin and then point the finger at "duties" when questioned about high prices. I have ordered marine electronics online from the US, paid shipping to Thailand and paid the import duty. I still saved half the price over the same product for sale in Thailand. That will not work with items that need to be licensed like radios and radars and probably AIS, stand by on that topic, because if you do not buy the item in Thailand you cannot get the Thai license.

[captnhoy]

As a marine person , I don't have issues with this.

The more regulation the better.

If they can make basic fundamental outlawing of operators ,who ply their trade largely illegally fleecing westerners with deception and criminal activity eg uninsured Jet ski hire etc ...this law would seem to be more in line with reality.

Thailand is not so safe anymore ...this law is in my view a smart move.

And I am a critic of Junta where they seem unjust.

I have no issue with any safety premise. The laws are only as good as the enforcement. Do you think the dive boats that sink so frequently passed a REAL safety inspection? The annual safety inspection for my boat was more about collecting the "survey fee" as they called it.

[steelepulse]

O/T I know, but speaking about safety, how many of these young Thai lads that drive the red speedboats dangerously really have the required number of hours training, took the test, passed and paid their fees? Checking on local boat captains might be a pretty good place to start safety enforcement.

[BernieOnTour]

Buy a cheap class B transponder (in Europe approx. 600 ) , put it in your hand luggage on your next home trip and you are done.

[liddelljohn]

There is no import duty on marine equipment anymore in thailand since 2007 if they add duty its illegal or a scam ,that was done to encourage yachts and marine industry in thailan,, TIT

[cloudhopper]

There is no import duty on marine equipment anymore in thailand since 2007 if they add duty its illegal or a scam ,that was done to encourage yachts and marine industry in thailan,, TIT

There is no duty for boats but plenty for their equipment. No doubt foreign flagged boats planning to spend any time here will be getting them in Langkawi.

[Boatfreak]

Ok then you have an AIS but do you have any idea how long it takes to get an MMSI number without which your AIS is useless? In 10 days no way you can get your number.

[LivinginKata]

Inflammatory post removed.

[Ulic]

AIS, great idea. Works great but all boats over 10 meters should have it. That includes Thai boats and especially commercial boats.

As for not being able to find the boat owners, many rent homes or condos to live in if they are staying long term. The Chalong

check in will certainly have a boat owners name and could have his e-mail address, and land address if it was deemed important

that officials contact them regarding there boats.