Six people have gone missing after a tender that supplies fuel to fishing boats sank in the Gulf of Thailand on Wednesday, November 11.
Venus 14 went down stern-first approximately 27 nautical miles southwest of the entrance to the Sattahip Naval Base channel off Chon Buri province.
Navy spokesperson Rear Admiral Chanin Sriyapai said the patrol vessel Tor 113 and a maritime patrol aircraft were sent out to look for the missing crew. Special operations personnel and Thai Marine Department vessels joined the search as it continued into its second day on Thursday, November 12.
The Prachuap Khiri Khan regional marine office said seven people were missing. The office said the owner lost contact with the vessel at around 05:00 local time on Wednesday and notified it at 09:00. The precise time of the sinking remains unknown.
According to the office, Venus 14 was carrying approximately 280,000 litres of diesel in her cargo hold.
The Royal Thai Navy pollution response ship HTMS Panyi, which has oil containment capability, has been placed on standby.
The navy has also contacted the Marine Department's Oil Pollution Response Coordination Center.
Preliminary checks have produced no reports of oil leakage. Authorities have also issued maritime safety warnings to vessels transiting the surrounding waters.
The crew of the frigate HTMS Chao Phraya reportedly recovered an orange lifejacket near the area where Venus 14 is believed to have sunk. Investigators are working to determine whether the lifejacket had indeed originated from the missing fuel tender.
A model by Thailand's Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency indicated that any escaping oil could initially move south before turning west or southwest.
If oil entered Prachuap Khiri Khan Bay, approximately 9.8 hectares of coral habitat could be affected.
Venus 14 was licensed to operate within a restricted area as a tanker supplying the fishing industry.