Govt upgrades regs on super yacht visits

The Transport Ministry has ugraded its regulations on the size of super yachts plying Thai waters, to promote Thailand as an Asian marina hub.
Deputy Minister Manaporn Charoensri said on Friday the Marine Department recently amended a regulation for super yacht and sports boat arrivals to support the current maritime situation and promote the marine tourism business.
“The regulation has been in place since August 2015. It needs to be revised to be consistent with the current situation. The regulation supports the government’s policy by focusing on wealthy foreign tourists,” she said.
“Thailand is set to become a regional centre for ocean tourism and cruise ship travel due to the government’s efforts to promote the country as an Asian marina hub,” she said.
The Marine Department director, Kritpetch Chaichuay, said the new rule amends the definitions of such vessels.
The length of big cruising and sports boats (super yachts) has been lowered from the previous 30 metres-plus, carrying a maximum of 12 passengers, to 24 metres and over, carrying a maximum of 12 passengers, in line with international standards.
The insurance policy has a coverage amount of at least US$5 million, or about 171 million baht, per incident.
Mr Kritpetch said application for permission can be made through the electronic service system, and supporting documents can be provided in Thai or English.
The time frame for considering permission has also been set to be within 25 working days.
The Ministry of Transport has also noted a growing number of yachts longer than 24 metres entering and leaving Phuket over the past three years, with data showing that 41 super yachts arrived in Phuket in 2021 compared to 117 in 2022 and 148 in 2023.
Phuket and Koh Samui were the most popular destinations for vessels on the Andaman and Gulf of Thailand sides, respectively. According to the ministry, it is now working on two cruise terminal projects in Laem Chabang Port and Koh Samui.