Phuket park assesses coral after Myanmar ship sinks

PHUKET - Park and navy divers are surveying coral off Mu Ko Surin National Park amid concern it could be damaged by a sunken vessel from Myanmar.

The Thai Maritime Enforcement Commander Centre, overseeing the Andaman Coast, said on Monday that divers from the marine park and the Royal Thai Navy have been dispatched to check the condition of the coral in the area where the cargo ship MV Ayar Linn sank on Sunday.

The Myanmar-flagged vessel with seven crew members on board left a pier in Ranong province on Thursday with a full load of consumer goods for Myanmar ports. Its staff found water seeping through the bilge of the vessel en route to Mergui after a stop in Kawthaung, prompting skipper Aung Ngwe Soe to steer the ship to the nearest beach.

The 100-tonne-gross ship became stranded off Jak bay, located north of Mu Ko Surin in Khura Buri district in Phangnga province, and finally sank into the sea, leaving the goods floating.

The centre said the ship also carried 7,700 litres of diesel used to run the engine, but it was not leaking into the sea. The biggest concern was over possible damage to the coral from the ship resting on the sea bed.