New ferry links for Koh Samui

[Phil Water]

I would have thought a fast ferry link to Bangkok more profitable, a fast seacat that can take containers (without tractors), bikes, cars,vans & trucks, with 2 40Kt/75Kph High Speed cats that could be 3 sailings a day each way, (450Km Samui to BKK). if good were palletised they could be unloaded at the Samui port and shipped in smaller vans or lorries to final destination.

I would love to see such a ship.

[chang1]

Instead of trying to do the trip in 5 hours, which would be very expensive, a large overnight ferry with cabins, as used to cross the English channel, would be better.

As now most Samui tourists are the 2 week family type who only want to fly it is probably 15 years too late for this route anyway. Cheap Charlie backpackers (like I was then) would have loved to avoid the 24 hour trip on buses and mini vans that made you wait for hours at several cafés to change from one to another.

[NCC1701A]

"possible. plans."

safer than roads. with a life jacket you can stay alive for a long time in tropical waters.

in a mini van you just die.

[csabo]

Thaitanic

[cookee68]

"possible. plans."

safer than roads. with a life jacket you can stay alive for a long time in tropical waters.

in a mini van you just die.

So long as they have life jackets, and enough life jackets, and then if it does no capsize, and as long as the captain is sober and no other bad boat sailors around, and no pirates, and no staff rapists and muggers. then I guess it will be ok then

[mr_lob]

Just what that dump Samui needs - more vehicles on the road!

[Mole]

It's called PROGRESS!!

For those who likes to think about good old this and good old that...

What about cutting the darn electricity and pretend it's the really good old 1900??

Or is that too much of a good thing for you?

[flyingdoc]

For the sake of accuracy, both Raja and Sea Trans ferries between Nathon / Lipa Noi and Donsak, normally take 1 hour 25 minutes for the crossing !

[evadgib]

Just what that dump Samui needs - more vehicles on the road!

They won't be going back empty!

[oldsailor35]

Sattahip or Sri Ratcha to Koh Samui makes little to no sense!! Bangkok or Pattaya are big enough but these quaint villages are too small to make this a viable proposition.

Never been to Samui i suppose ? I expect that there will be quite a few Pattaya visitors who would love to visit a nice island resort for a change.

[cumgranosalum]

5 Hours ! . That is quicker than I would have expected ..

A vessel that can carry 400 pax and 100 vehicles at cruising speed of 40 knots is yet to exist. More info with pics or this is just a scam and will never happen !

Such vessel does exist, but highly unlikely to be seen in Thai waters anytime soon. Still, if the crossing would take 10+ hours it would still be a good alternative to traveling by road.

Forgive my ignorance, but why is it relevant to compare this ferry crossing to traveling by road?

That's the second reference to a trip by car on the thread, what has traveling by car got to do with how you get across the gulf to Samui?

Its like saying 10 hours across Annapurna South by foot is slower than travelling the same journey by car, but unless the car has wings the comparison is irrelevant!

Is it some rule of thumb for land speed vs nautical speed?

The relevance for me is that I drive to Samui......there would be several reasons for taking a ferry;

Sorry.....I'm still none the wiser as to why taking a ferry to samui is being compared to traveling by road.

How do you drive to Samui?

OK - I forgive you....hope you get it in the end......

[coulson]

Sorry.....I'm still none the wiser as to why taking a ferry to samui is being compared to traveling by road.

How do you drive to Samui?

OK - I forgive you....hope you get it in the end......

Thanks and yes........gave up caring in the meantime.

[Basil B]

I see the need for two different ferry routes...

A smaller high speed (40-50kts) passenger (500) ferry mainly for tourists...

Going Pattaya, Hua Hin, Champhon, Surat, Samui then back to Pattaya and round again with another Ferry going the other way round, pattaya, Samui, Surat,Champhon, Hua Hin then back to Pattaya and so on...

A slower RORO (Roll On, Roll Off) ferry Bangkok to Samui and back, passengers, bikes, cars, small trucks and containers.

two ferries with night and day sailings.

Cars limited to one on, one off, so for every car landed on the island one has to leave....

Containers offloaded in to a holding area, where containers are emptied into smaller vehicles, as I suspect most businesses on the island would never need a full container, a business could be built up around the port in Bangkok where part loads are packed into shared containers on the dockside.

Just my thoughts.

[Rocketsurgeon]

This type of ferry service has been a buzz for years, decades...never takes off. Now, most economies faultering and Thailands restrictive visa polices tge rumours float again...(pun intended).

Goood luck.

Why would anyone want to go to $amui anyway? There are far, far prettier beaches in Thailand.

[cumgranosalum]

This type of ferry service has been a buzz for years, decades...never takes off. Now, most economies faultering and Thailands restrictive visa polices tge rumours float again...(pun intended).

Goood luck.

Why would anyone want to go to $amui anyway? There are far, far prettier beaches in Thailand.

"Why would anyone want to go to $amui anyway? There are far, far prettier beaches in Thailand" has to be one of the most facile comments on the thread so far....

[samuijimmy]

This type of ferry service has been a buzz for years, decades...never takes off. Now, most economies faultering and Thailands restrictive visa polices tge rumours float again...(pun intended).

Goood luck.

Why would anyone want to go to $amui anyway? There are far, far prettier beaches in Thailand.

"Why would anyone want to go to $amui anyway? There are far, far prettier beaches in Thailand" has to be one of the most facile comments on the thread so far....

Obviously making a comment like this, you have not been to many beaches on Samui......

[cumgranosalum]

This type of ferry service has been a buzz for years, decades...never takes off. Now, most economies faultering and Thailands restrictive visa polices tge rumours float again...(pun intended).

Goood luck.

Why would anyone want to go to $amui anyway? There are far, far prettier beaches in Thailand.

"Why would anyone want to go to $amui anyway? There are far, far prettier beaches in Thailand" has to be one of the most facile comments on the thread so far....

Obviously making a comment like this, you have not been to many beaches on Samui......

Like your previous comment, baseless and without any connection to the argument. I was not commenting on Samui beaches, I was referring to the irrelevance of your comment... This unsurprisingly appears to have gone over your head

[evadgib]

How many days did you spend on the island and what went wrong?

[cumgranosalum]

Sattahip or Sri Ratcha to Koh Samui makes little to no sense!! Bangkok or Pattaya are big enough but these quaint villages are too small to make this a viable proposition.

apart from the fact that Sri Racha muang is huge and services the industrial heartland of Thailand with Laem Chabang the biggest port? Furthermore Sattahip is a naval base and has one of the few deep water harbours in the gulf??

[CaptainS]

Anyone got any news about the ferry? I wonder if it will ever happen.

[samuijimmy]

Anyone got any news about the ferry? I wonder if it will ever happen.

Nothing I have heard..... just don't hold your breath for too long!