Fishing trawler catches fire in Andaman sea, 9 crew rescued

The Sri Thong Pae 7 fishing trawler was engulfed in flames while refuelling in the Andaman Sea, leading to a rescue operation that saved the lives of nine crew members. The incident occurred early this morning, 15 nautical miles southwest of Koh Surin islands, off Phang Nga.

Upon receiving the distress signal at approximately 3.30am, the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre Region 3 (Thai-MECC Region 3) initiated a rescue operation. The crew on board the ill-fated trawler consisted of two Thais and seven Myanmar nationals.

Another fishing trawler, Charn Udom Sombat 1, spotted the blazing vessel about half an hour later. The crews swiftly evacuated the nine crew members from the burning ship and took them ashore.

Post the rescue, the Royal Thai Navy’s air and coastal defence command dispatched a speed…