My Voyages through the Andaman Sea and Gulf of

By Geoff Walker

The Andaman Sea is renowned for its stunning sunsets, beauty, and recently permitted eco-tourism. The Andaman and Nicobar Group consist of a group of about 570 islands that run virtually north and south, of which 38 are inhabited, situated at the juncture of the and the Andaman Sea. This chain of islands serves as the boundary between the Bay of Bengal to the west, and the Andaman Sea to the east. The territory is about 93 miles north of Aceh, the northern tip of Sumatra, in Indonesia and separated from Thailand and by the exotic Andaman Sea. Most of the islands are part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, politically administered by , the archipelago Islands became part of India in 1950 and was declared as a union territory of the nation in 1956 and is now known as the Union Territory of India. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands (which form the southern section of the archipelago) are separated by a broad channel, known as the Ten Degree Channel.

The waters and Islands of the Andaman and Nicobar group are pristine and a tourist’s paradise in every stretch of the imagination and must surely, be classified as a boutique destination for any visitor. The Andaman Sea, particularly the western coast of the Malay and Thailand Peninsula, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India and Myanmar are rich in coral reefs and offshore islands with spectacular topography. The climate is typical of tropical islands of similar latitude. It is always warm, but with cooling light sea-breezes, mostly after sunset. All is conducive to balmy tropical evenings, where the scent of the densely jungled Islands, drift heavily on the light airs, and the bioluminescent plankton floating under the surface which flash brightly when roused by the ship passing through the calm sea.

The administrative Capital or the Island Group is Blair, located in Middle Andaman. However, restrictions were imposed by the Indian government on visiting many of the Islands without a special permit, and it was not until 2018 that this was revoked on a trial basis, in order, to stimulate tourism, nevertheless, some islands such as remain strictly off limits to visitors, because of its indigenous culture and segregation.

Port Blair, with its picturesque entrance and bountiful tropical bays, is now a major naval base for the Indian Navy. The port does cater for commercial vessels, mostly container, but movements are closely monitored and controlled by the Indian Navy. Within the limits of the port, in Navy Bay to be exact, about 2 miles west of , is Viper Island, which derives its name from the vessel H.M.S. Viper in which Lt. Archibald Blair arrived in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 1789. The vessel, met with a tragic ending, and its wreckage was found near the island. This small island was the site of the infamous jail, where the British colonialists used to imprison convicts and political prisoners. The jail was abandoned when the was constructed in 1906. Today, the two-storied Jail building still stands but in ruins to the plinth level, except for a portion of the roof with the outer wall dilapidated and crumbling. The Gallows stands atop of a nearby hill, and apart from being a beautiful, serene location and historical monument, it has now become a tourist attraction.

During WW2 the were occupied by the Japanese, until repossessed by the British at the conclusion of the War. The penal colony was eventually closed on 15 August 1947 when India gained independence. On 26 December 2004, the coast of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands was devastated by a 10-metre- high Tsunami following the 2004 earthquake, which is the longest recorded earthquake, lasting for between 500 and 600 seconds. Although seriously affected by the Indian Ocean earthquake and Tsunami, Port Blair survived sufficiently to act as a base for the co-ordination of relief efforts in the islands. At the time of the earthquake and Tsunami, I was in , Thailand, with a ship, and knew nothing of the disaster until watching the evening TV news. Fortunately, Songkhla is on the eastern seaboard of the Thai Isthmus, facing the , and was therefore protected and unaffected by the event. Whereas the Island of , which is only about 160 miles distant (as the crow flies) on the western side of the peninsula was very severely damaged, with considerable loss of life.

The Andaman and Nicobar Chain of Islands with the inset showing the magnificent natural harbor offered by Port Blair.

The infamous “Gallows” at Viper Island

Beautiful Viper Island.

The Mergui Archipelago is a group of some 800 islands and islets off the coast of Myanmar in the Andaman Sea. The archipelago was most likely first settled by Malay sailors, or Sea Gypsies, who arrived from the south. However, it remained largely uninhabited until the 20th century. Malays and Chinese traders used the inner waters to escape the southwest monsoon, while larger ships avoided the complicated maritime geography, reefs, and narrow passages. Pirates and slavers also used it as a refuge because it was almost impossible to control. The islands began to be accurately charted only after British occupation in 1824. First, Captain Ross surveyed the outer islands in the late 1820s, followed by Captain Lloyd in the inner islands in the late 1830s. The unspoiled and pristine waters surrounding the Mergui Archipelago are renowned for Whales, Whale Sharks, and Manta Rays at certain times of the year and have become a major tourist attraction in recent years. I clearly recall being anchored in the lee of one of the archipelago islands during severe Southwesterly Monsoonal weather and sighting numerous whales and Manta Rays in the clear waters.

The Myanmar Military Government only opened the area to foreign tourism in 1997, previously these continental island gems remained off limits to foreigners, until the first dive operators from Thailand negotiated limited access and commenced offering cruises to the Andaman and Mergui Archipelagos in Indonesian style Pinisi sailing vessels, or luxury super yachts, for those in search of some of the best dive spots in Asia. An area renowned for its abundance and diversity of aquatic sealife, as well as the wide variation of coral reefs, which sit off many of the silver sandy beaches; the Mergui Archipelago is still one of the least-visited places on earth, but is tranquility and beauty personified.

A caption showing the Mergui Archipelago, just off the southern coast of Myanmar.

Mergui is the main port for the area located at the extreme southeastern sector of the Myanmar coast. The Town of Mergui occupies a small island at the mouth of the . Mergui is often a busy port engaged mostly in shallow drafted coastal vessels trading north to Yangon (Rangoon) and south to Malaysian in the Malacca Straits. Mergui is a fascinating town with an interesting history, which dates back, to around 1500. Sailing ships of the time, faced with undependable winds, uncharted reefs, strong currents, and pirates of the Malacca Straits to the south, preferred to offload their goods in Mergui and have cargo trans-shipped, often by elephant convoys, across the Thai/Malaysia Peninsula to the ancient kingdoms of Ayutthaya (early Kingdom of Siam between 1350 to 1767), Cambodia and southern Indo China. The importance of Mergui as an historic Indian Ocean trading post can still be seen today, with the interesting mix of Chinese, Indian, Arabic and Burmese heritage.

Serenely sailing, and island hopping through the Mergui Archipelago on a Ketch rigged Penisi, must rank amongst one of the most delightful ways in which to explore these magnificent and unspoiled islands.

Truly, one of the last remaining paradises in Asia.

Heading south, into Thai waters, there are two ports on the western seaboard, namely Phuket Port and Krabi Port.

Phuket Deep Sea Port is also known as Phuket Port and Port of Phuket, situated on the western seaboard of Thailand, on the Andaman Sea. The port is at Makham Bay, on the eastern coast of Phuket island. Larger vessels access this port by a 120m wide channel, dredged to -6.8 m (Chart Datum), and around 1.5 km in length. For convenience 360 m turning circle is available to the northern part of the quay. It is suited for medium size multipurpose cargo vessels and Cruise Ships, which frequent the port. Breakbulk, Oil, and Passenger Ship wharfage facilities are available.

Phuket Island has become an internationally popular tourist destination in recent years and has largely been rebuilt following the disastrous Tsunami in 2004. It is particularly frequented by those seeking adventure at the nearby Phi Phi Islands and magnificent underwater diving, available offshore at Krabi, just across Phang Nga Bay.

Showing the close proximity of Phuket Island and Krabi Gulf of Thailand

Phuket Island, located on trading routes between India and China, was subjected to foreign influences long before many other parts of Thailand. During the southwest monsoon season, ships would anchor in the safe sheltered harbours of Phuket and wait for the northeast monsoon winds, which would allow them to proceed to India. In the 16th century Phuket was established as a major source of tin and became an important trading post, It was also during this period that the first Europeans arrived on Phuket. The interior jungle was inhabited by indigenous tribes until they were displaced in the 19th century by tin miners. The coastal areas were inhabited mainly by Sea Gypsies, who made their living through piracy and fishing for pearls. Deralict traces of Sea Gypsie villages can still be found along the coast of Phuket and neighbouring islands

The British secured a tin mining concession and nearly claimed Phuket as part of the British Empire, opting instead for Penang due to its safer harbours. The interior jungle was inhabited by indigenous tribes until they were displaced in the 19th century by tin miners. The coastal areas were inhabited mainly by Sea Gypsies, who made their living through piracy and fishing for pearls. Deralict traces of Sea Gypsie villages can still be found along the coast of Phuket and neighbouring islands.

Port of Krabi is located at the mouth of the Krabi River where it discharges into Phang Nga Bay. Although the Port is very small It has developed into a bustling fishing port, but above all else has become a tourist hub, with focus on marine craft associated with tourism. It's estimated that there are around 150 islands and islets around the Krabi coastline, many look like bread crumbs on an Admiralty Chart, being small rocky outcrops that rise very steeply out of the sea, and have no landing access. Others are larger, with typical secluded, small white sandy beaches, coral reefs, and intricate cave systems. Large fishing fleets concentrate offshore throughout the year, except in boisterous weather, which is relatively infrequent, but mainly occurres during the southwest monsoonal season.

Having transited the Straits, one enters the Gulf of Thailand (also known as the Gulf of Siam). It is something of a is a shallow inlet in the southwestern South China Sea, with a depth ranging between 60-85m, a length of about 500 miles (north to south) and width of some 350 miles (east to west). At the northern end of the gulf is the Bay of , which lies at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, which meanders, twists and turns, its way up to the Thai Capital of Bangkok, and beyond further inland.

The Gulf is encompassed to the north, west and southwest by the coastlines of Thailand (hence the name), on the northeast by Cambodia and the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. The Gulf of Thailand opens to adjoin the South China Sea in the southeast. The southernmost extremities of the Gulf of Thailand are usually defined by a line joining Cape Bai Bung in southern Vietnam (just south of the mouth of the Mekong River Delta) to the city of Kota Bharu, on the eastern side of the Malaysian part of the peninsula.

Extensive Oil and Gas Exploration is conducted within the Gulf of Thailand, mainly in the central and northern regions. These Offshore Zones are littered with Production Platforms, Jackets, and mooring facilities for FPSO and other large Floating Storage Installations, mainly in the Bongkot and Arthit Fields. The main support base for these offshore facilities is Songkhla, and to a lesser extent, Sattahip (on the eastern shores of the Gulf of Thailand) and is basically a port operated for the Royal Thai Navy, but this supplementary base has been ransferred, to a recently established offshore facility in Provence, at Map Ta Phut Port, which is about 20 miles further down the coast from Sattahip and has transcended from a small fishing port to a major maritime complex. Map Ta Phut is now the largest Industrial Park in Thailand.

Chart showing the location of Map Ta Phut Port, in relation to Sattahip Port. The insert shows the intended Pipeline from the Thai State owned Bongkot Field, to Myanmar. Aerial view of Map Ta Phut International Sea Port which has now been developed into Thailand’s largest industrial zoned park, with substantial supporting infrastructure. Bids for the 3rd phase development are currently under review. Bidders are both Thai and International consortiums. Phase 32 is anticipated to be operational by 2025.

Large fleets of fishing vessels can be found throughout the year in the Gulf of Thailand; the area accounts for over 40% of Thailand’s fishing catch, with hundreds and hundreds of vessels concentrated in large groups, at night often poorly lit, which can be a nightmare to deep-water mariners. Pirates also use these concentrations of fishing craft to lurk within, until in close quarters with targeted ships. Piracy is a serious threat within these waters. The Gulf of Thailand is also littered with flotsam, much of it is plastic waste products. Thailand is among the world's worst plastic polluters. More than half of "land- based plastic-waste dumped into the sea”, originates from just five countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. However, in recent years massive efforts have been made to clean- up, especially the beaches which attract so many international tourists.

As one navigates north into the Gulf of Thailand, the first major seaport is Songkhla, situated in the southern province of Songkhla, facing the Gulf of Thailand. Songkhla, also called “Singora”. Songkhla is a seaport situated at the outlet of Luang Lagoon. It is a regional center for the Gulf of Thailand coastal area and is commercially connected to Malaysia and Singapore in terms of trade, the port can handle quite large ocean-going vessels.

The Port of Songkhla, strategically located, and with good depth of water and amenities, is a major exporting hub for locally processed frozen seafood, mainly to and other major Asian centers such as Singapore. The old port of Songkhla is now mostly used by fishing vessels, whilst Songkhla new port facilitates most other marine traffic. The Oil and Gas sector has a relatively new jetty complex, built in about 2006, exclusively as a logistics base to support the offshore oil and gas fields in the Gulf of Thailand.

Songkhla Offshore Supply Base operated exclusively by their national energy exploration group, PTTEP. Songkhla commercial port, which facilitates main-stream shipping, is the main gateway for shipping into southern Thailand.

Whilst Songkhla is the main seaport and a University Town, the principal city in the south of Thailand is “”. This is the commercial center for the region and where the International Airport is situated. “Hat Yai” is about a 45minute drive, north of Songkhla, and the place at which terrorist bombings took place around 2005, when the airport, hotel and supermarket were attacked by breakaway Thai Muslim Separatists, who allegedly claimed responsibility.

Songkhla is known for its famous bronze statue of a “Golden Mermaid”, situated on a rock at Samila Beach. Contrary to belief it is not a copy of the well-known Danish Mermaid, but rather derives from Thai Folk Lore. Not far distant on the northern side of Samila Beach is a large bronze statue of a “Dog, Cat and Mouse.’ It is derived from a legendary story where a dog, cat, and mouse want to go home after being bought by a Chinese merchant. The animals begin fighting over a valuable item they stole from the merchant. This item prevents drowning, but greed takes over and the animals start fighting over the item. When it gets lost at sea, the cat and mouse drown. They become the Cat Island and the Mouse Island, which are two small islands, just offshore Songkhla, aptly names “Cat and Mouse”.

Left, the bronze statue of the “Golden Mermaid” at Samila Beach in Songkhla, erected in 1966.

Below, the legendary “Cat and Mouse” statue after which the two small nearby Islands are named.

An aerial view of the main commercial deep seaport at Songkhla. The Offshore Supply Base is on the opposite side of the bay, to the right.

At one stage, Songkhla was the largest seafood exporting port in the southern hemisphere. If the Kra Canal is constructed, this port will be very close to the canal entrance in the Gulf of Thailand, and its importance will grow significantly as a transshipment hub.

For some time, the Thai Government has been giving consideration to constructing a canal across the Kra Isthmus, at its narrowest point, between Songkhla and Satun. It is believed a feasibility study into the potential project has already been agreed and soon to be undertaken. Thailand would greatly benefit, economically, from the construction of the more than 65mile artificial canal, which will cut the Kra Isthmus in Songkla/Satun in southern Thailand linking the Andaman, Gulf of Thailand, South China Sea and beyond. The proposed canal, if constructed, could see many ships bypass the Malacca Straits and save on average, three-days transit time when navigating between the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.

The intended route of the proposed “Kra Canal” if it should come to fruition.

Thai Canal would not totally compete with Malacca Straits, as the straits would maintain its purpose in catering for larger ships, while the proposed canal would serve smaller to medium sized, faster vessels.

Bangkok Port was constructed in 1938 with the purpose of enabling large sea- going ships to transport goods directly to the capital city of Bangkok. The Port area known as Klong Toei, is in the Samut Prakharn area and some 40 miles upstream from the Bar at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River. The work on the port was suspended during the second world war, and only completed after the war ended.

In 1951, the government, with financial support from the World Bank, for dredging the sand bar, deepening the river course to the Bangkok Port, and purchasing loading /unloading equipment. The Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) was established in 1951, as an autonomous body under the general supervision of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

Then in 1961, the Thai Government started to construct a new deep-sea port at Laem Chabang, in the district, close to Ko Sichang, to accommodate larger vessels which could not enter the Bangkok Port. However, due to the economic recession at the time, the project was suspended. Sattahip Port, formerly a Navy Port, was developed as an interim alternative and became operational for commercial purposes, under PAT's management in 1979. Construction of Laem Chabang Port re- commenced in 1987, and in January 1991, the Port officially opened its multi - purpose terminal. This allowed Sattahip Port to be returned to the Royal Thai Navy, with commercial operations at that port progressively phased out. By 1997, the Laem Chabang Port hit the target of 1 million TEU and became Thailand's premier port. PAT, therefore, accelerated the construction of Phase 2, to cope with the rapidly increasing number of containers and larger container ships.

Since 1951, the river traffic to Bangkok Port has continuously increased and since 1977 the loading and unloading of containers at Bangkok Port increased every year until the Port began to become congested, which peaked between 1987 – 1989. Port infrastructure was improved with the introduction of 14 Gantry Cranes and substantially more container storage space. Container traffic further increased to 1.3 million T.E.U. but this alarmed the Government which imposed an edict limiting annual container capacity at the Bangkok Port at 1 million T.E.U. This was to mitigate the associated traffic problems, and to encourage ships to use more services at Laem Chabang Port.

The Chao Phraya River is fast flowing and during some seasons large rafts of Lotus Weed are encountered floating downstream. The river transit upstream to Bangkok is fascinating, with numerous Klongs (canals) which branch off, leading to small villages and hamlets, most having their own Buddhist Temple or “Wat”, most of which are visible during the river passage.

Thailand’s River Port at Bangkok – Klong Toei (shown left). Now a congested Port with container laydown areas, shown almost at capacity.

Thailand’s premier gateway port – Laem Chabang has been developed into one of the major Container Ports in Asia, having already progressed through several stages of development since it commenced operations in 1991.

The Port of Laem Chabang, capable of handling some of the world’s largest container ships. Nowadays, container ports all look alike, but the growing economy and trade of Thailand has necessitated the almost continual expansion of the Port of Laem Chabang. The recent image, seen below, clearly indicates the 3 phases of development the port has undergone since 1991.

A recent sky-photo of the Port of Laem Chabang. Close to the Chao Phraya River Delta, not too distant from Laem Chabang Port, and close to the township of Sriracha, lies Koh Sichang. Ko Sichang is a small island situated in the Gulf of Thailand. Its proximity to shipping lanes to and from Bangkok has made it a convenient working anchorage for dozens of ships which trans-ship their cargos to lighters and barges, for towing up the Chao Phraya River to Bangkok. This anchorage is still used as a point at which some vessels lighten to reduce draft for their upstream transit to Bangkok. Some bulk commodities, such as grains, are also discharged at the anchorage, by floating bulk unloaders into lighters for transit upstream to Bangkok Port. Ko Sichang is also relatively close to the anchorage used by ships waiting on a suitable tide for crossing the Bangkok Bar.

Left, the Island of Ko Sichang with barges and ships waiting at this working anchorage.

The development of Sattahip Port, dates back to the early 1920s, when constructed as a deep-water port for the Royal Thai Navy and is used as their principal headquarters/Base.

Sattahip is also seen as an alternative port for Bangkok, which has draft limitations, and was used as an interim combined commercial/military port during the 1980’s when Bangkok Port became saturated, and during the construction of Laem Chabang Container Port. Once Laem Chabang became operational, Sattahip was more or less handed back to the RTN, save for very limited use by commercial vessel’s mainly involved in the Thai Oil and Gas sector.

The port was used by the Americans during the Vietnam war, as was the nearby Airport of U-Tapao, which was the home of a B-52 bomber group. The airbase, with its long runway was partially built by the Americans to serve their military purposes in Vietnam. The airport is also the RTN’s main airbase but in more recent years has also seen limited commercial flights using the airport.

Sattahip initially was, and still is, Naval Base, with 3 front piers being Naval only. Port and Project in general, are managed by Navy Command, with plans, later, to hand over civil facilities management to private companies.

Under the recently announced Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) scheme, three projects are interesting, and potentially important, for merchant shipping in the Sattahip precinct, namely, Thailand’s main trade gate, Laem Chabang Port (plus Ko Sichang island Anchorage) – now undergoing Phase 3 of its’ expansion, to increase containers turnover to more than 18 million TEU per year and increase car exports to 3 million per year, and Map Ta Phut Industrial Park and Port to undergo further development and expansion.

Sattahip Commercial Port is scheduled for Development into a mainly, tourists transportation hub, as a solution to tourist transportation flows to resorts of , Hua Hin, (both on western coast of Gulf of Thailand) and southeastern famous resort islands of Trat Province, such as Ko Chang, Ko Kud, Ko Mak. Also, the Port is already handling multipurpose cargo ships and tankers.

There will be two ferry piers at Sattahip, and passenger terminal. The deep-water pier, which is currently handling tankers, will be converted for cruise ships, a special short-cut highway is planned to connect the pier directly to national highways and future high-speed trains.

Depth at cargo handling piers No. 4 and 5 will be deepened from present 9.5 meters to 11-14 meters. Piers will be handling mostly multipurpose geared cargo ships, no gantry cranes are planned, because overall, that cargo handling section of Sattahip is mostly, of a secondary and supportive nature, the core features of the project being ferry and cruise ship piers and terminals, whilst continuing to satisfy RTN base requirements. Ro-ro and passenger ferries are intended to connect Sattahip with three destination, all three being most popular resort areas: Ko Samui and Hua Hin along the southwest and west coast of the Gulf of Thailand, and the popular Trat Province islands – Ko Chang, Ko Kood, and Ko Mak.

With high-speed trains, U-Tapao Airport once fully operative, and ferries capable of transporting cars, buses and vehicles, it will be a major advancement ensuring Thailand is well positioned for an anticipated resurgence of the tourist industry, after being decimated by the Covid Virus.

U-Tapao Airport will retain its importance in the EEC Plan, itis already operative and developing rapidly, with construction well advanced. It is intended U-Tapao will unburden passengers flows in main Thailand Airports such as Suvarnabhumi, and, Don Muang, (Thailand’s Domestic airport) by taking most of the tourists heading for , Hua Hin, Ko Samui and the Trat Islands. Making for a shorter and more comfortable journey.

Showing detailed plans, for the future expansion and development of Sattahip Port, under the EEC Plan, which is scheduled to be completed by 2022. The Port of Map Ta Phut, (aka Rayong Port), is situated on the eastern side of the Gulf of Thailand, approximately 20 miles down the coast from Sattahip Port, where the Flagship of the Royal Thai Navy - Aircraft Carrier - HTNS Chakri Naruebet, commissioned in March 1997, when not at sea, is usually berthed at the Naval Base. The ship is the smallest functioning aircraft carrier in the world. The aircraft carrier was designed to operate an air group of V/STOL fighter aircraft and helicopters, and it is fitted with an aircraft ski-jump. The V/STOL AV-8S Matadors were retired in 2006.

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In addition to the eight major Thai Ports, there are additional small ports dotted around the Gulf of Thailand’s coastline, mostly catering for domestic coastal shipping, too numerous to include in this brief review. Every visit to the Andaman Sea or Gulf of Thailand Ports, yield new secrets into the developing new projects, all designed to further enhance Thailand’s successful and vibrant economy. Ensuring a prosperous future for the “Land of Smiles”.

End

References: Various Historical and Cultural Archives, Various online data available on Public Domains, from which much material has been sourced.

Disclaimer: This is a “Not for Profit” document. Unless otherwise specified, images are from various unknown sources on the Public Domain and used under the Fair Use category for review, commentary, and educational purposes only. Photographs of unknown origin – owners of these images should make themselves known by contacting me via this website and I will be pleased to give due accreditation. No infringement of copyright is intended. Whilst every effort has been made to provide accurate information, it cannot be guaranteed, because of multiple reports and varying accounts.