Fishing Boat Fire Contained, Nine Crew Safe Off Songkhla Bay
Fishing vessel Wongcharoen 99 caught fire shortly after departing Songkhla Bay on July 10, but all nine crew members were safely evacuated after the Royal Thai Navy contained the blaze with water and foam.
A fishing vessel named Wongcharoen 99 caught fire shortly after leaving port in Songkhla Bay. The Regional Navy Command 2 mobilized resources and deployed Royal Thai Navy vessel HTMS Chakri 858 to spray water and foam to contain the fire. All nine crew members were safely evacuated.
The incident was reported at 5:11 p.m. on July 10, 2025. The Wongcharoen 99, which departed from Wongcharoen port at 4:30 p.m., experienced a fire in the stern area as it was leaving Songkhla Lake Bay heading into the Gulf of Thailand to fish. The Fishery Inspection Management Center Zone 8 (Songkhla) identified the vessel as registration ทบ.267430218, call sign TM4836D, grossing 57.79 tons and equipped with bag net fishing gear. The vessel had properly filed its fishing departure through official systems before the incident, and authorities coordinated with security and maritime rescue units immediately.
After the fire, the Regional Navy Command 2 mobilized resources and dispatched HTMS Chakri 858 to spray water and foam to control the fire. The Water Police, the Regional Port Authority (Songkhla branch), and relevant agencies supported operations including area safety management, traffic control, and crew evacuation from the danger zone. Firefighting efforts took over an hour due to the large quantities of fuel oil and fishing equipment aboard, making extinguishing efforts difficult.
The Fishery Inspection Management Center Zone 8 (Songkhla) confirmed that all nine crew members are safe, comprised of five Thai nationals, three Cambodians, and one Myanmar national. There were no reports of injuries or deaths. The vessel damage assessment and fire cause investigation remain ongoing as authorities work to document facts and determine official damage valuations.