More ferries to be added on Pattaya-Hua Hin route

[webfact]

More ferries to be added on Pattaya-Hua Hin route

 

BANGKOK, 14th February 2017 (NNT) - The operator of the ferry service, which now connects Pattaya on the eastern seaboard with Hua Hin on the opposite side of the Gulf, is ready to cope with a higher travel demand from tourists. 

Mr. Preecha Tantipura, president of Royal Passenger Liner company which won the concession to operate the ferry service between Pattaya and Hua Hin, said that, after the trial period in January, the company started charging 1,250 baht per person per trip since the beginning of February. 

Mr. Peercha says the service has been well-received by both Thai and foreign travelers, as the trip lasts only two hours over a distance of 116 kilometers. 

He added that three more ferries will be added to the service in March — resulting in a fleet of four ferries, while the company will be offering two daily trips in each direction. 

In addition, a special promotion for the month of love has been introduced and it is a special fare of 999 baht per person per journey in the regular class throughout February, Mr. Preecha said.

 

-- nnt 2017-02-14

 

 

 

[champers]

So that is 4 ferries in operation with one 2 hour crossing per ferry per day. Is that economically viable? I can only imagine that a lot of Chinese and Korean tourists on organised tours are going to be using this service.Will Pattaya or Hua Hin get the most benefit from such an arrangement?

[ukrules]

Just in time for the low season / quietest time of the year, in a year when there appears to be many less tourists than normal.

 

It's been very busy at times around here but nothing like last year.

 

 

[onemorechang]

10 minutes ago, ukrules said:

Just in time for the low season / quietest time of the year, in a year when there appears to be many less tourists than normal.

 

It's been very busy at times around here but nothing like last year.

 

 

Not so sure about that, in Jomtien there

seems to be a lot more Russians turned up in the last 3 weeks.

but they are to tight to use the Ferry service or deodorant for that matter.

The large buses are back in Jomtien parked down second road over night so

a few more of that group around.

 

Surprised they have plans to expand the fleet !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! good luck to them.

 

 

[BruceMangosteen]

There was mention this venture was subsidized by the Government. The demand for the service isn't something most can fathom but the Government knows best. You would need a casino on-board to make it financially viable. 

[Deli]

bring in a ferry for cars and bikes !

[Banana7]

They should add ferries that are capable of holding buses, trucks, cars, motor cycles. not just people. Improve the docking facilities, for roll-on roll-off vehicles. This could become a great way to improve road transportation bypassing Bangkok.

[smutcakes]

41 minutes ago, BruceMangosteen said:

There was mention this venture was subsidized by the Government. The demand for the service isn't something most can fathom but the Government knows best. You would need a casino on-board to make it financially viable. 

You only need to see how involved the Government are in promoting it as well as having armed forces escorts for the service to understand the likelihood of there being military personal interests in the project, and no doubt a fair tender for the operation permit.

[onemorechang]

1 hour ago, BruceMangosteen said:

There was mention this venture was subsidized by the Government. The demand for the service isn't something most can fathom but the Government knows best. You would need a casino on-board to make it financially viable. 

Oh no the Casino  thing again  ( popular Bs trending for pattaya now day )

But i think the Roulette wheel would make for an

interesting game in rough seas.

[tompelli]

47 minutes ago, smutcakes said:

You only need to see how involved the Government are in promoting it as well as having armed forces escorts for the service to understand the likelihood of there being military personal interests in the project, and no doubt a fair tender for the operation permit.

The tender was fair. Only one company applied (they won).

[Mooner]

So after a month or so of operating which was plagued by early problems caused by waves they have decided to order more boats starting to service the public as we head in to low season.

 

 

[wanderluster]

has anyone taken this trip?  first hand knowledge?  was it a smooth trip?  how long was the actual trip? was the boat crowded or near empty? did you pay or was this when free service?

[siam2007]

4 hours ago, onemorechang said:

 

Surprised they have plans to expand the fleet !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! good luck to them.

 

 

 

 

because they as usual failed to do a reality check.

I know from people who actually used the ferry in the past two weeks that the average load was 50 PAX per trip either way (it is a 250 seater).

Stating "they have plans to extend frequency" does not mean they actually do it. Until it is for money-laundering purposes or to grab government subsidies

[JSixpack]

1 hour ago, Mooner said:

So after a month or so of operating which was plagued by early problems caused by waves 

 

Testing, not operating--normal and good. Opened officially yesterday.

 

Not plagued by early problems--typical TVF exaggeration. Waves are always an issue with any ferry service and if we take a ferry we'd really like to know the ferry isn't operating under unsafe conditions. We want the schedule changed accordingly. So that's been some positive reassurance.

 

Quote

they have decided to order more boats starting to service the public

 

Yep, that's indeed what the article said. Excellent.

 

Quote

as we head in to low season.

 

Yep. But you see that doesn't matter, as TVF posters can't see customers in venues where they don't want to see them. Hence CentralFestival Pattaya Beach is devoid of shoppers at all times and has been accordingly bankrupt for many years, just as we prophesied when it dared open. Moreover, it's not conceivable that there are sufficient customers at times other then when the near-sighted poster happened to visit. Hence we're left with chanting stupidity, money laundering, and corruption. Been said many times in the ferry threads already.

 

So, no big deal, par for the course. It's up to the ferry company to manage as it sees fit. Let's move on, shall we?

 

Now: we'll have a larger choice of departure times, all to the good for those who wish to use the ferry. If you're not going to use it for various "reasons," mostly because you can't afford it, why bother "commenting?"

Edited February 14, 2017 by JSixpack

[webfact]

More sea routes to link Pattaya and Hua Hin to other popular beach resorts

 

 

PATTAYA: -- Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has urged the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to explore new sea routes that will serve as new option for tourists to travel to tourist destinations.

 

He first mentioned the old Bang Poo seaside resort in Samut Prakarn province to see whether it is commercially  feasible to have the place link to Pattaya and Hua Hin by sea route.

 

This was disclosed by Government spokesman Lt Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd after the prime minister presided over the official commencement of the sea travel service between Pattaya and Hua Hin on Sunday after almost two months long trial service.

 

He was satisfied with the service and offered thanks for the Ministry of Transport and relevant agencies that helped to bring the sea route project and port projects off the ground with success.

 

The prime minister has said that the new sea route has halved the travel time between the two seaside cities and also became a new travel option for tourists.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/sea-routes-link-pattaya-hua-hin-popular-beach-resorts/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-02-14

[elgordo38]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

He added that three more ferries will be added to the service in March —

WOW that is quite a leap of faith. I envision a bath tub full of toy boats and then someone comes along like ole Mother Nature and turns the tap on full blast. Holly flying boats Batman. 

[yellowboat]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Samut Prakarn province

He wants to add stops along the way.  It may be prudent to wait to see if the current route becomes viable first. 

[PETERTHEEATER]

,,,,,,,,,as the trip lasts only two hours over a distance of 116 kilometers. 

 

That's 58 kph (36 mph) average speed....

[mikebell]

The route is 116 kms long.  If they moored sufficient of these ferries nose to tail & knocked off the front and back bits, you would have a bridge.  (Oh - forgot that's a dirty word in Pattaya.)

[aguy30]

Just don't understand what they are thinking. Were any qualified people involved in the planning?

 

Not happy that they are using 30 year old Chinese ferries for the service that can't comfortably handle more than 2m waves. Interesting how that insignificant detail wasn't know by most people in Thailand. Seems like the old boats already reached end of useful life and that is why the Chinese got rid of them.

 

It would be really unpleasant to be stuck in Hua Hin without a place to stay because of bad weather and no a return ferry trip. The return van ride might be lots of fun.

 

I, like many people MIGHT consider using the ferry if it was larger, more stable and carried cars and motorcycles and charged more reasonable prices with more frequent daily trips. I will venture a guess that it will cost at least 2000 baht for a car and 400 baht for a motorcycle plus full passenger fares, if it it ever happens. Too expensive!

 

I see failure on the horizon.

 

 

Edited February 14, 2017 by aguy30

[aguy30]

21 minutes ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

,,,,,,,,,as the trip lasts only two hours over a distance of 116 kilometers. 

 

That's 58 kph (36 mph) average speed....

Doubtful they will be able to do it in 2 hours on a very calm day. The marine office said they approved the ferry for something like 42 kph (27 mph) but that probably won't slow them down anymore than the vans and buses are by speed limits.

[natway09]

Mr Prime Minister,,,, Please, lets just walk before we can run.

This could end up being a great service ,,,lets just wait & see first.

Do not clog the routes with all sorts of ferries they will just end up hitting each other.

While I am on my soap box lets fix the existing train services before you spend billions of taxpayers money on

high speed trains that the poor will not even be able to afford but they would appreciate

a decent health care budget before your chuffa trains

[JSixpack]

1 hour ago, aguy30 said:

Just don't understand what they are thinking. Were any qualified people involved in the planning?

 

You mean any members of the TVF Pattaya Central Planning Bureau? The Bureau only goes by "what's needed." Nothing has been needed in the last 20 years. Ergo, new construction will fail and there never should have been any thought of a ferry.

 

It's part of the New Construction denunciation rituals to condemn the planning. Take Hooters for example

 

On 1/25/2016 at 6:22 PM, moonseeker said:

Amazing however how entrepreneurs can invest huge sums of money without proper market research. Thailand is such a difficult & different place to run any kind of business.

 

Yet Hooters has been doing OK. Neither Central nor Northshore have fallen down yet. The Tunnel ain't gon' flood. It may be that too many members of the TVF Pattaya Central Planning Bureau hail from nanny states where they had little to no business experience. Indeed, our current holder of the TVF Distinguished Chair of Pattaya Barstool Economics worked as a nurse in the UK and hurls prognostications from Chiang Mai. :)

 

Quote

Not happy that they are using 30 year old Chinese ferries for the service that can't comfortably handle more than 2m waves. Interesting how that insignificant detail wasn't know by most people in Thailand. Seems like the old boats already reached end of useful life and that is why the Chinese got rid of them.

 

No reason to think that except that you want to. Part of the lying is that the ferries were made in China. Older boats can do just fine. Old Russian hydrofoils from the 1950s do well enough between Vung Tau and HMC.

 

Quote

It would be really unpleasant to be stuck in Hua Hin without a place to stay because of bad weather and no a return ferry trip. The return van ride might be lots of fun.

 

Oh, check the weather forecast before you go. You could find a place to stay in Hua Hin at a hotel. You could wait for a ferry return trip; you see, bad weather one day doesn't mean The End of all ferry service. And you could take buses back. Or have lots of fun taking a taxi; pamper yourself, man.

 

Similarly you might get stranded at an airport owing to bad weather. And then?

 

Quote

I see failure on the horizon.

 

Of course you do. We knew that.

 

 

Edited February 14, 2017 by JSixpack

[JSixpack]

43 minutes ago, aguy30 said:

Doubtful they will be able to do it in 2 hours on a very calm day.

 

But they already have:

 

20 hours ago, wavemanwww said:

I caught this ferry on Friday 10th. It left Hua Hin exactly on time at 1.30pm which I was impressed . It travelled between 27 to 30knots as promised. But note the seas were very calm that day. The engines are very quiet. The interior is air conditioned. Most importantly safety is of a high standard under each seat they had a safety vest and each exit door had a life raft to sufficiently carry all passengers. Plus the seats even had seatbelts if the seas got rough. So safety is not an issue. By the way it arrived near ontime at Pattaya at just past 3.30pm.

 

So much for your ferry expertise, sorry. But you weren't planning on taking it anyway, so what does it matter eh.

 

[nakhonandy]

45 minutes ago, aguy30 said:

Doubtful they will be able to do it in 2 hours on a very calm day. The marine office said they approved the ferry for something like 42 kph (27 mph) but that probably won't slow them down anymore than the vans and buses are by speed limits.

I remember reading the top speed was 48kmph so even then not possible. 

[JSixpack]

10 hours ago, champers said:

So that is 4 ferries in operation with one 2 hour crossing per ferry per day. Is that economically viable? I can only imagine that a lot of Chinese and Korean tourists on organised tours are going to be using this service.Will Pattaya or Hua Hin get the most benefit from such an arrangement?

 

 Patience is a virtue and Geena is a punk rocker!

—champers, 2014-04-30 01:29:07

 

And Sheena, too. So let's wait & see.

 

[JSixpack]

8 minutes ago, nakhonandy said:

I remember reading the top speed was 48kmph so even then not possible. 

 

Huh? Better tell wavemanwww.

 

20 hours ago, wavemanwww said:

I caught this ferry on Friday 10th. It left Hua Hin exactly on time at 1.30pm which I was impressed . It travelled between 27 to 30knots as promised. But note the seas were very calm that day. The engines are very quiet. The interior is air conditioned. Most importantly safety is of a high standard under each seat they had a safety vest and each exit door had a life raft to sufficiently carry all passengers. Plus the seats even had seatbelts if the seas got rough. So safety is not an issue. By the way it arrived near ontime at Pattaya at just past 3.30pm.

 

Another balloon popped.

 

[nakhonandy]

45 minutes ago, JSixpack said:

 

Huh? Better tell wavemanwww.

 

 

Another balloon popped.

 

<deleted> its safe top speed, approved by the Marine department, it may well go faster but only in ideal conditions. 

 

The gulf rarely has ideal conditions. 

 

We will see over time. 

[Mooner]

5 hours ago, JSixpack said:

 

Testing, not operating--normal and good. Opened officially yesterday.

 

Not plagued by early problems--typical TVF exaggeration. Waves are always an issue with any ferry service and if we take a ferry we'd really like to know the ferry isn't operating under unsafe conditions. We want the schedule changed accordingly. So that's been some positive reassurance.

 

 

Yep, that's indeed what the article said. Excellent.

 

 

Yep. But you see that doesn't matter, as TVF posters can't see customers in venues where they don't want to see them. Hence CentralFestival Pattaya Beach is devoid of shoppers at all times and has been accordingly bankrupt for many years, just as we prophesied when it dared open. Moreover, it's not conceivable that there are sufficient customers at times other then when the near-sighted poster happened to visit. Hence we're left with chanting stupidity, money laundering, and corruption. Been said many times in the ferry threads already.

 

So, no big deal, par for the course. It's up to the ferry company to manage as it sees fit. Let's move on, shall we?

 

Now: we'll have a larger choice of departure times, all to the good for those who wish to use the ferry. If you're not going to use it for various "reasons," mostly because you can't afford it, why bother "commenting?"

A problem that a boat cant travel when there are waves over 3m seems a huge problem to me especially as seas tend to become rougher in low season.

You seem to have put alot of words in my mouth with your money laundering  and corruption spill.

Your right i wont be using it as i wouldnt go to Hua Hin. There are better places to go to in Thailand that i can fly to.

Also im amazed to know how you think i cant afford it? Maybe you should get yoursellf a little table outside the temple at Huay Kwang and use your physic powers to serve the thai public.

[JSixpack]

1 hour ago, nakhonandy said:

. . .  it may well go faster but only in ideal conditions.

 

Which ain't the same at all as not possible, now is it? And well, yes, planes, boats, ships, cars, trucks, burros can go faster in ideal conditions. We've made progress here.

 

Edited February 14, 2017 by JSixpack