Illegal Fishing Vessel Rams Thai Navy Patrol Ship

 

The Royal Thai Navy had a collision with a foreign fishing vessel during an enforcement mission earlier this week, the service confirmed Wednesday. 

On Saturday, the Royal Thai Navy tracked and monitored a group of 10 foreign fishing vessels that were conducting illegal fishing operations in Thai waters, reportedly including pair trawling and light-lure squid fishing. Their operating pattern was to loiter along the southeastern edge of the Thai maritime boundary, next to Cambodia. The fishing vessels would cross over during the night before heading back over the line at daybreak to evade enforcement. 

Thai maritime enforcement officials called for support from the Border Defence Command of the Thai military. The naval patrol ship T.264 and the Thai Navy warship HTMS Thepa got under way to assist, supported by aerial surveillance. They encountered the fleet early Tuesday and gave pursuit; the Thai warship managed to capture one foreign fishing vessel, but the others fled over the boundary line, despite orders to stop and warning shots. 

 

Courtesy Royal Thai Navy

During the pursuit, the detained fishing vessel made a hard turn and rammed the side of HTMS Thepa, causing minor damage. The four crewmembers were arrested, and the boat was towed into port at Khlong Yai. 

Rear Admiral Apha Chaphanon, Director of Thailand’s First Maritime Enforcement Command Centre, told local media that encroachment from illegal Vietnamese fishing vessels is a persistent problem along the Gulf of Thailand maritime boundary.