The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has commenced an air and sea search for the rogue fishing ship the Taishan which abruptly weighed anchor and fled the Port of Phuket on Wednesday.
Contacted late on Wednesday evening a RTN Command Center to Combat Illegal Fishing (CCCIF) officer who cannot be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media said sea and air resources including Dornier Do 228 aircraft had been dispatched to search for the rogue fishing ship.
The RTN operates seven Dornier 228s while the CCCIF commands at least six offshore patrol vessels for combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. It is also reported to be coordinating resources from the Marine Department, the Department of fisheries (DoF) and the Marine Police division of the Royal Thai Police (RTP).