PRACHUAB KIRI KHAN – Admiral Adoong Pan-iam, Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Navy, observed the operation of searching and decommissioning hazardous materials on HTMS Sukhothai on the first day of operation on February 22 in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province.
According to a press release from the Royal Thai Army, Admiral Adoong began an observation of hazardous materials operations on HTMS Sukhothai at 09:15 a.m. onboard the Ocean Valour vessel in the Gulf of Thailand, near the location where HTMS Sukhothai was reported missing, in the Bang Saphan District.
He travelled by helicopter to HTMS Angthong, where he was welcomed and accompanied by Admiral Chatchai Thongsaard, commander of the Royal Thai Fleet and CAPT Hugh Winkel US Naval Attaché to Thailand and Chief of Attaché Operations.
They observed the operations on the Ocean Valor, which is the main operational vessel for the search and decommission hazardous materials of HTMS Sukhothai.
This provided an opportunity for Admiral Adoong to greet the naval personnel and officers from the United States Navy participating in this mission, closely observing their operations from preparation to underwater tasks.
Subsequently, the Commander of the United States Navy’s diving unit demonstrated the communication system and displayed images from the underwater team’s control room. Upon completion of the visit, Admiral Adoong and his team returned to the HTMS Angthong for media interviews regarding this collaborative mission between the Royal Thai Navy and the United States Navy, expressing gratitude to the latter for their assistance in this operation.
The visit to observe the operations on the Ocean Valor showcased the challenges involved, from transporting diving equipment from Hawaii to Singapore and then to the dive site, all without any cost, highlighting the enduring friendship between the two navies, committed to the successful and safe execution of this mission.
Regarding the current mission, it will involve inspecting the vessel to capture external and internal photographs of the vessel, to be utilized for the investigation the cause of the shipwreck incident and searching for missing persons, including external and internal vessel inspection and search operations, estimated to take approximately five days before transitioning to recovery of weapons and disposal of hazardous materials over the next 14 days.
Along with retrieving any items of sentimental value for the naval personnel, Admiral Adoong Pan-iam announced that the first item to be retrieved from HTMS Sukhothai will be its nameplate.
This operation is emblematic of the long-term friendship between the U.S. and Thai navies which are committed to conducting a safe and thorough salvage. The recordings of the inside and outside of the HTMS Sukhothai, in particularly, will be used along with previous investigations to find the real cause of its sinking.
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