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June 6, 2000

PSP Marine: Thai Boats For Indonesian Waters

With a favourable exchange rate on the Thai batt and a skilled workforce, steel boat construction for the fishing industry is enjoying a dramatic growth. P.S.P. Marine Company Ltd. of Samutsakorn Thailand is sharing in that growth with a dozen boats between 20 and 38 metres under construction in their yard at the end of May. Praphan Lohratvilai, of Millennium Enterprise a subsidiary company that handles the yards marketing explains, "Samutsakorn is a fishing city. The fishermen are changing to steel from wood and we can deliver a 30-metre trawler in six months."

The yard’s current crop of boats, primarily trawlers and fish carriers for Thai companies fishing in Indonesian waters, include five trawlers with 500 HP Cummins KTA19 main engines. Reliability is important as the trawlers typically spend three years at a time in Indonesian waters. Cummins engines are supplied to Thai customers by Diethelm & Company Ltd. of Bangkok. Also included in the current construction are a pair of boats for an owner from the province of Samutprakarn near Bangkok. These boats, the "Tanavaree" and "Teerarat" will support of the fleets working in Indonesian waters. With a ten day trip one way to the fishing grounds, the fish packing boats carry ice and supplies to the fleet.

Working with a crew of twenty, they off-load half of their ice to the trawlers and pack the catches in the remaining ice for the return trip to Thailand. At 38x8x4.5 metres, the "Tanavaree" is powered by a 1000 HP Cummins KTA38 M1 main engine with a 7:1 Reintjes gear turning an 84-inch propeller for 15 knot speeds. The twelve holds are lined with teak and insulated with foam between the wood and the steel hull and bulkheads. The boat will pack about 2,500 boxes of fish equalling eight boxes to the ton. Bottom plating on the vessels is 15 m/m with side walls of 12 m/m and decks of 6 m/m.

Presently in the fourth year of operation, owner and managing director Siva Boontanonda reports that they have grown from building two vessels in their first year to 15 vessels in their second year and they will deliver 25 vessels this year.

For more information, contact:

Siva Boontanonda
Managing Director, P.S.P Marine Co. LTD.
119/53 Moo 1 Tachin, Samutsakorn, Thailand
Phone: 66 (034) 821046 Fax: 66 (034) 821048
e-mail: pspmarin@mail.cscoms.com

or:

Sathit Suwanprasert
Senior Engineer (marketing), Diethelm & Co., Ltd.
1696 New Petchburi Road
Bangkapi Huaykhwang, Bangkok, 10320
Phone: (662) 254 4900 Fax: (662) 254 4913

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