Chinese Ghost Ship Adrift In Gulf of Thailand

[@bigclivedotcom]

Mysterious and strangely intriguing.

[@ulogy]

Big Daddy Clive showing up on other channels I watch is always a joy.

[@IanDarley]

Hi Clive 😎

[@superchuck3259]

Show just how BIG the World IS! There is no population problem. Stuff like this points it out. Amazing how large the ocean is that it can just drift around a long time not hitting anything!

[@BloodAsp]

Woah! Haha, hey there Big Clive. Good to see ya!

[@Mr4621]

Clive what are you doing here too?!

[@johnjohn-ed9qt]

If there is enough interest, the IMO number most likely will be recovered from the hull. For those wondering about what it is, it is the International Maritime Organization registration, and stays with a vessel for its full life, similar to a VIN, for most classes of commercial cargo and passenger vessels (>300ton gross, IIRC). It is applied to the hull in several places, and to make it unrecoverable pretty much requires cutting the hull plates out. Grinding won't do it. I have read IMO numbers from inside the hull after they were ground off more than once (to reapply during repair work). It is also in several locations in the engine room, bridge, and others, weld-lined, punch-mark-lined, or similar method that permanently distresses the material. In some cases, grinding the metal and letting it rust makes it show better, due to the structural changes in the metal due to welding or distress from punch-marking.

[@chaz000006]

Still, why would someone want to hide it?

[@aritakalo8011]

@@chaz000006 So nobody can come later to the owners with "hey your abandoned ship caused damage, needed to be salvaged etc. That costs money, here is the bill. You owners pay it."? What I don't get is why not just sink it more effectively. If you want to get rid of the ship without having to pay for scrapping, just scuttle it. Take it out to open ocean, put holes in the hull, open some critical valves, leave all water tight doors and hatches open and run. Ofcourse in case one is owner with no morals and heed for the environmental damage and so on. Why leave it abandoned drifting. After all the effort of removing much of the gear, logs, scraping identifyin numbers etc. It speaks of planned orderly abandonment, instead of hastily abandoning it due to circumstances or distress. If you have time to unbolt all the radios, navigation equipment, grind of serial numbers, one would also have time to rig the cooling water intakes etc. to sink the ship. That way nobody is coming to come after the ship owners of a ship that just beached itself on coast cliffs. Since the ship is 100 meters deep and most likely not found for very long time as long as one sinks it enough out to open ocean, away from main shipping lines, under sea cable runs and so on.

[@hkr667]

@@aritakalo8011 The only reason I would think of is to properly distance the wrongdoer from any events concerning the last day or two of the ship. So not only fleeing the scene after sinking it, or being seen on a boat with some proximity to the sinking location, but reeeeeaaally making sure you are nowhere near any area the ship might sink at any time. But even then, there would have been better ways to do it, as clearly it didn't work.

[@monkehbitch]

@@aritakalo8011 I wonder if that's what the initial intention was. I mean it "sank" when it was towed by the navy. They abandoned trying to pump out the engine room, I'm wondering if they found that sort of evidence and just began moving it to either assist it's sinking an say no more or wanted to get it out of the oil rigs danger zone and shallower waters to inspect it closer. Hard to say, and believe, and wonder why they didn't follow through with the sinking? It wouldn't have taken much to sink it, like you say. But why only half a job?

[@rosegreensummer]

@@chaz000006 like people abandon cars! (drugs, crime, cost of scrapping it etc)

[@Coloneljesus]

I'm just here for the Thigh Navy

[@truthsRsung]

I bet you have trouble pronouncing Paris as well. Pipe down Sanders.

[@hwamplerhwamplero5257]

@@truthsRsung it ain’t pronounced like that in Thai either.

[@truthsRsung]

@@hwamplerhwamplero5257 ...I don't pronounce ain't in any language

[@bubz1876]

😳🤣

[@alvinaltovar163]

Maybe you want a thigh chicken😂

[@Richardincancale]

4:23 The two records have the same MMSI - the number used by AIS and DSC to uniquely identify vessels, so most likely the same ship. The first three digits are 413 which is part of the PRC numbering range.

[@goatsinker347]

Awesome, more abbreviations, as though we're all seasoned maritimers.

[@Richardincancale]

@@goatsinker347 For those without Wikipedia to hand…. MMSI = Maritime Mobile Subscriber Identity - it uniquely identifies a vessel in radio messages on satellite and other radio systems. AIS = Automatic Identification System which is a type of radio beacon that is transmitted by vessels to enable receivers to know their location, speed, direction and identity (using the MMSI). DSC = Digital Selective Calling is an automated system used to send messages over radio, including distress alerts) at the push of a button. PRC = Peoples Republic of China

[@johnathanasiou9284]

Well spotted!

[@nix4644]

@@Richardincancale Thanks for taking the time answering Goat Stinker (intentional).😉

[@tbirdracefan]

I noticed that too. I suppose it does not matter much since so much time has past. Past owner could simply say it was sold for scrap?

[@litz13]

This is called a "someone else's problem" issue ... eg, someone didn't want to deal with the cost of remediation/scrapping, so they scrubbed it of all identity and launched it out into the great unknown to become, yes, "someone else's problem"

[@amunderdog]

Thailand did not want to deal with ether. Stop pumping, Then. Oh my! it sank in tow.

[@wormhole331]

This is the first thing that came to my mind. They either tried to sink it but was unsuccessful and drifted away or it sprung a leak and listed so they didn’t want to deal with it.

[@WifeBTR123]

Boarding a listing abandoned ship at night in the ocean sounds extremely dangerous.

[@RK-gv7rc]

nah mate easy. i would have just refloated it with a wet fart mate. jobs goodn'

[@alphawolfgang173]

taking one look at the rusted hole when he was boarding i would say screw that

[@seeker296]

>everyone leaves a ship bc it's dangerous >boards said ship

[@shtsurfer]

Thank you Chief, for teaching us land people about the way of the seaman.

[@loismiller2830]

There was a ship a few years ago in the Gulf of Alaska where the crew were all rescued by the Coast Guard during a giant storm. After the storm, they went back and the ship was still floating, although with a significant list. They were going to tow it into Dutch Harbor, but after going on board, they discovered the ship was entirely infested with rats. They don't have rats in Alaska, so the authorities refused to have it brought to the dock. It floated out there as a ghost ship for a long time while people argued about what to do. I can't remember the final outcome, but at one point they discussed letting the Air Force use it for target practice. That never happened because of environmental concerns with oil leakage. I think it finally sank on its own before a decision was made.

[@danger3_255]

Big-brain govt

[@tomtommiest]

How much is a ship, so that you can afford to leave it out there just because of infestations to rats?!

[@kurtdnelson9653]

That's 😢 at least they could've pumped out the oil in an effort to salvage or refloat the ship. Dumb aren't we it could've been done, right?

[@stephenbrand5661]

Rats are actually established in more than a dozen communities in Alaska, including all the way up in Nome!!

[@loismiller2830]

@@stephenbrand5661 oh no! I hate those things. Hopefully the cold and the distance will limit their spread.

[@ronnieka3309]

Great video Chief! I always enjoy your well worked out and presented stories.

[@malcontender6319]

"Sank while under tow" = "Salvage isn't worth it. Sink it."

[@jhonnalbisa8422]

Hello sir! I really love how you explain even the most explicit detail of reality in a seafarer's life. Thanks for sharing your vast knowledge to the aspiring seamen, including me of course hahahah

[@jeffbangkok]

Best report I've seen here in Thailand. Just saw my Thai navy neighbor an hour ago. Thank you Chief

[@guidichris]

Sounds like any equipment worth anything was stripped. Considering that any identifying information was also removed, it doesn’t sound like piracy. Great video as usual.

[@truthsRsung]

You managed to eliminate a possibility that noone was considering in the first place. Congrats

[@onrr1726]

I thought the same thing when the anchor was reported as missing. In my best guess it probably went adrift from one of the major ship brakes yards in an over night storm and nobody noticed it had slipped away and went adrift. Thuis is only an opinion become If it was being towed somewhere and or if it was in a port tied down someone I'm sure would have noticed it missing if a line snapped.

[@AnarexicSumo]

@@truthsRsung Hey, at least they can spell.

[@fullraph]

@@onrr1726 Exactly what I thought, seems like the most likely scenario.

[@truthsRsung]

@@onrr1726 ...You should consider that it was set adrift by someone (group of people) intent on harming the same oil rigs that it was found threatening. How you can believe that this ship was "lost" by people is laughable. The Chinese watched it leave their waters on their coastal RADAR. Treat this like the crime that it is and not some "accident."

[@FreezeAU]

Only 18 meters deep? Looks like Thailand just got a new wreck diving site!

[@niagarawarrior9623]

Right off the shore of a resort island none the less, time for the Thai's to make lemonade out of that old rusted lemon.

[@idroadking]

Very interesting and informative as always.... absolutely love the channel, appreciate your work and effort.... thank you!

[@toddfraisure1747]

That was a really good video Chief. Fascinating subject. Thanks for going into depth !

[@geraldineaherne9763]

Thank you Chief . Excellent report. Glad a major catastrophe was averted. So sad to see such pollution though...

[@clocktower1164]

In coastal areas in Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines and Indonesia, there are a lot of really really old vessels (which has no registry) still being used. About 10 years ago, I personally was abroad a little tanker transporting crude palm oil from Papua New Guinea to Singapore, based on the documents, that rust bucket was constructed in the late 1950's. Holy macro !

[@symphinitystugiii3476]

In the Philippines there still a ton of rust boats just going around well some fishing some transporting well they aren't even affected by the rust because the crew takes GOOD care of the boats or ships

[@geigertec5921]

I've had the pleasure of boarding two ghost ships in the past year. The first, and for now the only I will share, was a sailing vessel. I discovered it mostly by accident adrift, its hull covered in thick algae and barnacles. I boarded and went inside. To my suprise the hull appeared to be sound as everything inside was dry and orderly for the most part. The first things I found were numerous fiberglass patch kits - haphazardly strewn about as if someone had been attempting to make emergency repairs, though I couldn't tell to were. The galley was fully stocked with food and water, the beds were made, and the hatches were all secure. The engines were seized and the batteries were dead, there was no anchor nor anchor chain. The masts appeared to be sound with the sails bundled neatly. The ceiling was cracked where one of the masts entered the main interior - and this may have indicated a serious problem perhaps rendering that mast unusable. There was a half-inflated life boat stowed in a cabin. There were newspapers - yellow with age from 2015, on the table in the galley. Everything appeared to have been frozen in the year 2015 though it was now the summer of 2021. I took some photos of the vessel but nothing else, deciding it was best to leave the ghost ship and its contents alone. The vessel was eventually wrecked against some rocks on a nearby inlet. I ventured to it at low tide and boarded again - the ship now on land resting at a 45 degree angle to one side. Everything inside had been tussled to port and it was disorienting to walk in a space now so askew. The hull had been breached as some water had pooled several inches inside - the rocks having ground the fiberglass exterior to a paper-thin state in parts. Amazingly the vessel was still capable of floating. Over the following days the high tide liberated the vessel from the rocks and brought it further up the inlet where it wrecked for a second and final time taking on water and sinking. I ventured to it at low tide and entered the flooded interior. Inside the ghost ship, now in its final resting place, I witnessed a most peculiar sight. As the water levels lowered in tandem with the receding tide, the entire interior of the ship began to give off a visible translucent steam - like that visible over a pot of boiling soup. The blaring hot summer sun had turned the interior of that ship into a sauna. Water and liberated gassoline combined and evaporated into clouds. I climbed out and watched as this steam rose from the hatches like a soul leaving a body. It was at that point I decided to leave the ship to its grave, it was now just a sunken wreck.

[@judsonkr]

The ocean is a big place. Especially the Pacific (not saying you were on the Pacific). Most folks really cannot comprehend its size. I have sailed it several times and do comprehend. It is entirely possibly for a ship to float around out there for years and never be spotted.

[@geigertec5921]

@@sonny9608 The second boat was a bit different and not so much a ghost ship as the first. It was a large pleasure yacht that I noticed one day beached high up on the rocky shoreline. It had undoubtedly been a ghost ship at some point as it hadn't reached this place under any competent supervision. I sailed over to it, anchored, and rowed out to it as the tide began to recede. It was resting relatively even with the ground with perhaps just a 5 degree tilt to port. The stern had a swim board attached to it that had been reduced to splinters by something but other than this the boat overall appeared to still be seaworthy. I climbed a ladder and got onto the deck and opened the door. Inside there was a large living space with table, chairs, couch, big screen TV, nautical decorations, and a full size refrigerator. I looked in the fridge and there was beer and soda inside. Further down in this first room there was a hatch in the floor which was open. I went into the hatch and climbed down a ladder into the engine room using my phone as a flashlight. There were two big marine diesels down there that were partially dismantled. Scattered everywhere were filthy tools and rags covered in thick black oil. The clear plastic bulbs of the engine's fuel filters had been needlessly smashed and the hoses cut in what looked to have been done by someone in a rage of anger. There was about an inch of diesel pooled on the entirety of the engine room floor. I went back up the ladder and went into another door which lead to a bedroom. There was a skylight hatch above the bed which was open. I climbed on the bed and crawled through the hatch and out onto the outside. I walked along the deck and then climbed up to the flying bridge which towered about fifteen feet above the deck. Great view. I had seen all I needed and decided to head back. A few weeks later I saw the vessel again. It had moved from its original spot and now lay totally wrecked further down the rocks, the flying bridge had been torn clean off while the rest of the vessel was now mostly submerged. I watched as the remains where actively tussled back and forth by the waves against the rocks, pieces of hull flaking off before my very eyes. It was like watching a corpse ravaged and decomposing in the surf.

[@tomwelch6281]

Pirates

[@zbdot73]

did you report any of this to the authorities?

[@geigertec5921]

@@zbdot73 Oh yeah, the Coast Guard, I have friends in there, and they have told me even crazier stories - stories that have never made the news, never been published. I can recount an interesting tale that was told to me a few months ago by my friend who is a seasoned veteran. It was in the middle of the night while they were on a simple mission. All they had to do was cross the channel and dock their patrol boat on the other side but while on their way they encountered a small sailboat. It had no running lights and appeared to be floating on its own, just a tiny speck in a sea of blackness. The coast guard approached the sailboat with their patrol boat and my friend reached out and grabbed the mast. He shined a light down into the tiny craft and saw there was a man slumped over within. My friend climbed down into the boat and lifted the man up. He was hopelessly inebriated, barely able to stay consious, and deliberately un-cooperative. My friend recounted that had they not encountered it, the tiny sailboat would have definetly become swamped and the man would have died either from drowning or hypothermia. So they brought him on board the patrol boat and tried to identify him, but he had no ID, and was only wearing shorts. He tried to fight them so they handcuffed him, he then fell over and split his scalp and forehead open on the deck - knocking himself unconscious again. So they bandaged his bloody head and put him in the cabin. They contact a local ambulance crew who waited for them to arrive at the dock. They also called the local PD who unexpectedly figured out the dude's identity - it being determined that he was a fugitive wanted for homicide. A long night ensued for everyone involved including a hilarious incident involving a gurney and a roll of duct tape.

[@rickwatts7885]

Great video! All of your productions are very interesting and informative! Thank you for your hard work! Stay safe.

[@lars277]

Great video Chief. Kudos to the Thai Navy jumping on that old spooky sinking ship. Not a duty I would be volunteering for. You can see why they abandoned it with the salvage costs. What about that on place in Sri Lanka where they run the ships right up on the flat beach? Then they come out and take the ships apart, not using too many modern tools or ways. I thought they would take almost any vessel that could be towed or driven up the beach.

[@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665]

Its odd given the raiding of British and Japanese WW2 warship war graves in that part of the world for scrap... but if someone in the Party or close to fell into difficulties they might do something desperate and half witted without actually knowing what they were doing. The other is you might be dealing with a ringer that was no longer needed/wanted. rather than have it scrapped locally it might have been dumped aiming to scuttle it ... but they would have wanted it to go slow if they had to get off it unassisted. With current tensions in that part of the world i bet it will be on someone's satellite track somewhere but dont expect them to shed any light on it.

[@KuK137]

@@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665 They raid WW2 graves because they contain pre-nukes steel. That shit is expensive. Every kilogram of steel made after US nuclear bombings is tainted by radioactive particles, if you want clean steel for really sensitive devices, you need to dig deep into sites like this. It's value is significantly higher than normal scrap.

[@clivestainlesssteelwomble7665]

@@KuK137 I know ... im a Scientist and you can only cut it ... Smelting or thermal cutting introduces the risk of contamination ...the raiding of SE asian WW2 conflict Wargrave ships has been a major issue with a lot of very poor people and a lot of dirty money involved, with local and national political corruption being involved. Regrettibly its been a case of too little too late and some very shoddy diplomatic behaviour.

[@physetermacrocephalus2209]

Great video Chief. Good story, good video footage and excellent commentary/analysis. Respect to the Thai Navy; that's definitely a freighting situation to have to deal with.

[@torgeirbrandsnes1916]

Great vlog as always! Have you heard the story of Murmansk? It was under tow from Murmansk to Alang when ropes snapped off shore of the island of Sørøya, Norway. It was in the early 90s and the wreck was there for many a years. I have pictures. My mothers relatives are from that island. Be safe boss.

[@nvkotian7539]

Excellent narratives. Excellent description. Beautifully presented. Thank you dear. - Love from Mumbai, India.

[@mueckenhoeffer]

From what you've presented, it certainly seems like an intentional abandonment to me. Glad the Thai Navy was there to respond quickly.

[@onrr1726]

Maybe maybe not. The anchor was reported missing. It probably escaped from a ship breaking yard and nobody noticed it managed to find a way to unbeach it's self which probably happened in a storm. Figure if it being towed or if it was tied up in a Harbor someone would have said something about it missing with in a day.

[@genellebrown3777]

This was so Interesting! Thank you Chief!! :)

[@clocktower1164]

Reportedly that old vessel was decommissioned (due to the age and its derelict condition) in China and then someone in Vietnam or Cambodia bought it for scrap. It was then moved to that area, never re-registered, but used for cargo transport duty in the coastal area. After some period of time, the vessel's condition got worsen and it couldn't be used anymore, the so-called 'owner' cut it loose and set it adrift.

[@harryroque4446]

This content creator deserves more subscribers.

[@kevinb2469]

Heads up: The name Thailand doesn’t use the English “th” sound. As far as I know, the h there is totally silent. And, as far as I know, it is approximately the same as Taylandiya in Tagalog, but without the iya. Someone already commented the same, but in a rude way. Thanks for the video.

[@eliotmansfield]

I pronounce ‘Thai’ like ‘Tie’ as in Tie a knot

[@luckystriker7489]

The h isn't totally silent, but you are essentially correct. Thai is pronounced as tie, but with a slight breathiness after the t

[@eliotmansfield]

@@luckystriker7489 Agreed.

[@dfwrider3830]

yeah this kept catching me off guard, last time i heard it prodounced that way it was the punchline of a stupid joke in a stupid movie.

[@michaelmarama-de4gx]

Bullshit Kevin

[@stunimbus1543]

Surprised it sank. Can't imagine the stress of being towed would break it up unless it had been purposefully weakened.

[@litz13]

At the time the Navy boarded it was way far along in the process, with the aft end flooded, and noticeable water in the cargo holds. One good storm and it wouldn't take much to convince it to roll right over.

[@richardreid6377]

Open hatches and a lot of water aboard made it unstable. Wouldn't take much for it to pitch or roll to a point where water poured in.

[@tobiastho9639]

When they started towing it probably all the water inside went towards the back and sunk it... just my best guess.

[@bb5242]

I'm surprised it wasn't loaded with trash.

[@DreadX10]

@@tobiastho9639 Towing a ship doesn't accelerates it fast enough to have the water inside go backwards. The weight of the tow-line would even make the bow slightly lower than before. As for the sinking, I was thinking about the props and prop-shaft. When towing it, the props start turning and the 'water-tight' seals on the prop-shaft weren't watertight any-more. This creates extra leaking because of towing. This is just a guess.

[@crustytravels]

Thanks for the awesome content. I always enjoy watching and learning.

[@BuzzSargent]

Interesting that something so large is so hard to identify. Even cars have VIN numbers that are sometimes stamped into parts as well as on the dashboard. So dangerous. I sail and to hit something like this with a fiberglass boat would be the end. Good report.

[@79tazman]

That's what I was thinking Imagine a sailboat running into that in the middle of the night that would not be good at all. It's scary stuff knowing there can be ships floating around. Good thing it was spotted and intercepted before something bad happened.

[@TheEarthHistorysConfusing]

Thanks @Chief MAKOI for sharing as I would not know of this as news these days is not news. Huge Thanks , Stay safe on the seas..

[@stephenmoncrieff2056]

Boarding this ship at night is just more than a little creepy .

[@jeremiah1059]

Great video yet again Chief. Thanks and keep up the good work.

[@stablefairy9437]

Excellent report Chief one that is worth being on the news. am sure we would have not heard of this if you had not published it.

[@midei]

Today I learned the expression “down to Davy Jones locker”. Thank you, Chief.

[@papaalphaoscar5537]

18 meters is not deep. Would have made a nice wreck for diving if it were nearer shore. But all that fuel oil and other chemicals would be very bad for the environment.

[@truthsRsung]

There you go again.

[@kurtdnelson9653]

Papa Alpha Oscar. What's up with prove me wrong what's got his panties in a pinch 😤😡

[@papaalphaoscar5537]

@@kurtdnelson9653 Some are just born that way. 🙂

[@truthsRsung]

@@kurtdnelson9653 ...And some people are born w/o the courage to speak with the people they confront and wear their mouth on the side of their face their whole lives.

[@kurtdnelson9653]

@@truthsRsung hay I was wondering really what are U so mad at Can u explain please & thank you

[@misterangel8486]

I love how informative your channel is. Much obliged😎👍

[@almirria6753]

A great report Chief.

[@ironmike2732]

Excellent episode with a very interesting topic. Thanks and well done!

[@RobSandman]

That one courtesy of the Irish Cost Guard is(I think) the "Ghost Ship" that broke away from Salvors on the other side of the world and had a merry little world tour for quite a while(over a year I think)before finally washing up on the shore on the West coast of Ireland.

[@666Malbojia]

Hi there from western Massachusetts! Love your videos, keep up the great work!

[@bwcritch]

When you looked that vessel up in FleetMon, those are the same ship, look at the MMSI number. Sometimes you get a double entry because its being pulled from different databases, such as AIS & SAIS.

[@rockybass9764]

Love this guy. Always good stuff and not 20 minutes long.

[@kneel1]

Looks to me that they ditched it on purpose, I assume its quite expensive to dispose of a no-longer-useful ship, and a non-ethical owner might do this to save money. Guessing they tried sinking it and failed, or the Navy got there first.

[@anttiroppola4414]

I was thinking if that was the case, that whoever promised to make the problem disappear might be getting follow up calls from whomever they might have made promises to.

[@LeedsRider]

Fascinating video, but the way you say "thigh navy" totally cracks me up!

[@AndreiTupolev]

I think I'd wait until daylight before boarding that. I've seen movies where people board abandoned mystery ships. It rarely works out well 😶

[@welshpete12]

As always fascinating and informative , thank you for posting !

[@randywl8925]

One would think it impossible to not be able to identify the ship. There are lots of images of ships and you would think there would be someone out there with images of the ship and some details could prove the name and a prior location of the ship.

[@tahoetom9932]

First time on your channel. Love it. Keep the great vids coming.

[@esmokems]

What a waste. They ran it down and didn't decommission the ship properly. All that metal could've been recycled

[@k0vert]

Excellent presentation as always! Cheers from Virginia Beach

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

You wouldn't necessarily have to salvage the ship for further investigation -- what about sending underwater drones (or in principle, divers, but that's less safe)? I am going to hazard a guess that the ship was abandoned because the owner company went bankrupt, and the management of the company probably wouldn't want to be found (particularly if they were also conducting an insurance scam in the course of cutting and running).

[@joelhill4107]

Brian Mulroney Shipping company. Still say that prick should be behind bars for treason!! Prick would change the flag pending on the waters they were going through to abide by the country's shipping, labour laws etc. What a low life!

[@Raptor200637]

If I know one thing it's not to board a ghost ship. These guys are legends

[@metocvideo]

Looks like all the most valuable electronics was taken out of the bridge before the ship was abandoned

[@alexanderbordeau7417]

Thank you for an interesting post. I've been looking for more from you. What have you been doing? I thought you might have retired.

[@sailorxyz5000]

Well there are many Ghost ship in our seas! All of them have their own story.

[@3zzor328]

Great video Chief, I loved the Davy Jones reference 😂😂

[@joshmaresch811]

Hey . I'm always curious where you are whenever you post a video.. so it would be cool if you could give a status update too. Thanks

[@blech71]

Amazing vid once again! Great content!

[@greyjay9202]

An interesting short documentary. The Chinese owners ordered the crew to remove identifying markings, but the crew forgot to remove the ship's name. Note: The word "Thai", as in "Thai Navy", is pronounced "Tie", not with the soft "th" sound. The abandonment of this vessel is not unusual, for Chinese-flagged ships. They do not maintain their ships well, and when they reach the end of their service lives, the crew sometimes leave them to drift, evacuating the crew onto another Chinese vessel. It is especially important, in this age of automation, to maintain an alert bridge watch at all times. Leaving the bridge unmanned, with nothing but a radar alarm, is poor seamanship, and can lead to collisions with ghost ships or other marine obstacles.

[@steven1898]

lol how long did it take you to make that up?

[@DanielSMatthews]

I find it hard to believe that there is not enough satellite imagery available to track an object of that size all the way back to the last port it was in.

[@russetwolf13]

Do you realize how much data that would represent? That's not how satellite imaging works, they're not just sitting around taking pictures of the open ocean for no reason in the hope something bumbles into frame.

[@douglasfur3808]

My speculation is that it was stripped of anything of value and abandoned as too costly to repair and not worth enough as scrap to tow it to a ship breaker.

[@ag4103]

Precisely

[@truthseekerhill4262]

Chief. Thank you for your reports. You are the best. You are knowledgeable and interesting. Thanks. 💞

[@chesterraybon3442]

Another great one Chief. I would think the owner would give it away for scrap before abandoning it out at sea Take care.

[@fk4515]

the issue becomes the ship was probably a liability, worth less than the cost of repair or scrapping.

[@13699111]

Thank you for posting this informative interesting video Chief. My first thought was for the crew it had to be terrible working for a company that abandoned a ship .

[@onrr1726]

Chief I've got a question for maybe another video. Despite the the pandemic going on and all that what are the procedures if a crew member(s) get(s) hurt from a accidental fall, or suffers an unexpected health issue like a heart attack or someone was to pass away unexpectedly in their bunk for any number of reasons while on board that may require for an unexpected stop at a Foreign port or if in the middle of a voyage that may take 2 or 3+ weeks to get to what would the procedures be in that case?

[@howardapplebaum9691]

I asked him to make a video on that yrs ago he said he would make it but never did he mayb to busy right now i hope he does make a video about medical emergency n med on ships

[@AnarexicSumo]

@@howardapplebaum9691 He did, about being stopped in the Port of LA for 2 weeks. TLDW: it's not bad. You don't get to go ashore for long anyway because offloading/onloading has to be done and being at anchor is an important chance to catch up on maintenance that can't be done with the main engine on.

[@AnarexicSumo]

He did, about being stopped in the Port of LA.

[@beeble2003]

@@AnarexicSumo That doesn't seem to have anything to do with this question, which is about medical emergencies. Covid is largely irrelevant to medical emergencies. Countries will admit somebody with a medical emergency and worry about visa issues and so on later. This happens all the time when passengers are taken ill on commercial flights and the plane lands in a country it wasn't planning to visit.

[@howardapplebaum9691]

No he did not make a video about if his ship has a sick bay n med staff n what would happen if an med emergency n or illnesses or accident happens he said he would make a video but never did mayb he will or won't pending if he has the time

[@luceurlings2156]

Thanx for the update Chief Greetz from the trucking dutchman .

[@terry_willis]

If the owner wanted to abandon his ship, then, after removing everything of value, why didn't he tow it to int'l waters and, at a good depth, just scuttle it??

[@ukaszw6623]

Towing services costs and it's official.

[@ArjunSinghKushwah]

Exquisitely written. Well narrated. 👍🏻

[@jontrout2010]

I can't shake the feeling that there was something illicit going on here.

[@stephenhope7319]

Thanks for that great vid Chief.

[@murraykriner9425]

This has long been a pretty common practice under certain circumstances too numerous to mention. With the world ocean's so vast in area, it would be impossible to guess how many derelicts there are in any state of repair. Many seem to wander the globe for decades before being spotted and anything done about them, as the salvage records attest. Am thankful for the Royal Thai Navy and their interdiction in the serious matter of oil rig damage. The fact that she sank shortly after a tug boat began hauling her to shore should indicate substantial hull damage since it has drifted for ages without secumbing to the waves before this. Hope someone hauls her out, as 18 meters isn't a great depth, and could create a navigation hazard for vessels with a deep enough draft in heavy seas. Interesting chain of events. Would be surprised if some movie studio didn't use this news item to create a motion picture just based of the speculated reasons for its recent discovery. Thanks Chief.

[@adolfoescobar3935]

Im watching your videos myfriend i am a former fishing vessel crew japanese and taiwan vessel im enjoy watching your videos.

[@mkegadgets4380]

Very interesting video, please keep us updated, if they find the owners or if you salvage it.

[@theovanstaden5766]

Amazing video Chief Makoi, very interesting video!

[@hesseldijkstra5327]

This is interesting. When all traces of ownership has been removed of this coaster then it seems to me the owner wanted to scuttle the ship. At an old age it's could be very expensive to have it surveyed and subsequently repaired. Also since the downturn of China's economy it also could have played a role. Scrapping may have been problematic for the owner and scuttling was the solution. It's easy to scuttle a ship. Otherwise the Thai navy would have found the hold and engine room dry. Also it sunk by itself. To me this was a deliberate act purposely done outside China's territorial waters.

[@sharky7665]

Nothing China does is on the level. I imagine the insurance cut a deal with the owner, or the owner thought he couldn’t get much for it.

[@robertwillis4061]

Ships like this can be used as a terrorist weapon. Let a few out into the shipping lanes; no lights, low in the water, masts removed. Some ship will hit it. This causes financial & ecological damage. As well continued problems for other ships in the area

[@fk4515]

that would be my take on it

[@sharky7665]

@N Fels what the hell are you talking about? Are you a China troll? Did mentioning China ethics set you off. Why are you going on about Fox News?

[@snowmiaow]

Sounded like the owner was done with it and got rid of it the cheapest way.

[@ThePlayerOfGames]

Awesome video Chief. I'm sure the Thai (T-Ai) would chuckle at becoming the Thighs though 😁

[@linear7d]

Facts without the drama. Love it!

[@nvragn]

What a nice surprise. I just stumbled across one I must have missed. Hopefully all is well Mr Chief 👍🇨🇦

[@arlisspropertyservicesllc5943]

If intentionally abandoned, its doubtful the owners will show up now too shell out $$$ to clean up a mess.

[@kiloton1920]

I wouldn’t have boarded that ship without a Geiger counter that’s all I know

[@DingDong-yz7tz]

Reasonable comment

[@MAtogable]

Interesting topic. The other issue is the other "ghost ships" that turn off the AIS for illicit trades.

[@mikek3951]

26 years ago me a 4 workers found a ship drifting off Florida a few hundred miles from. I can tell you this. Scary 50/50. But very odd feeling when you run into things like this

[@uncommonlogic1698]

It's pronounced "Tie " , in Thai language it's pronounced "Tah-eye". It's a "teh" sound if that makes sense. I would bet the main engine or prop shaft is damaged, possible grounding damage. Owner of ship didn't want to fix and stripped anything of value and left adrift. Numbers were removed to protect the owner from costs of removal. It was dumped in the Gulf to sink. To expensive to tow and scrap

[@bridgetstoli2347]

ภาษาไทย

[@DavidBoehmSweden]

Thighland, Thigh Navy🤣... I would say it's a bit ignorant.. But i forgive the creator because his content is otherwise superb. Hope he reads the comments and learns how to pronounce Thailand properly. 🇹🇭

[@TrumpForKing]

Always interesting and well done videos. Thanks.

[@johnyuboco8346]

Question: if the owners are found, are they subject to penalty for abandoning their ship?

[@ag4103]

yes but from the clue of the Chinese name of the ship, it would probably amount to nothing.

[@Markle2k]

@@ag4103 The Chinese Government are kind of inconsistent. It could be that they abandoned it because they would have been held to a high account for a ship that might disrupt Chinese commerce if it sunk in port or something like that. Think of the executives of that company that poisoned infants with melamine in infant formula that were executed.

[@niagarawarrior9623]

@@Markle2k although deliberately poisoning baby formula with melamine is significantly different then temporarily becoming a navigation hazard in a port, your probably right.

[@Ozymandias1]

@@Markle2k That was a major scandal and widely publicized so they had to act in the most severe way possible. Many Chinese still don’t trust infant formula made in China or even when it’s made abroad but has Chinese text on it. Chinese people in Europe buy infant formula and ship it to China. Many supermarkets have imposed limits on the sale it, such as max 2 per customer otherwise the entire stock would be gone in minutes.

[@Markle2k]

@@Ozymandias1 Yes. I know it was a scandal. A scandal they slow-walked past the Olympics publicity, but also one that seriously harmed the reputation of China's food exports, in general. 14 years later, you just need to say "melamine" and "baby formula" and somebody in your vicinity will immediately connect it to China.

[@johnnyssik]

Very cool! ⚓ Thank you for the upload.

[@steveparker8723]

Are ships abandoned like this very often?

[@ViniVidiBibi]

Very informative - as always - thank you :)

[@michaelscott2789]

Fascinating stuff. You have to wonder how many ghost ships are floating around the world. A lot of water out there!!!

[@harleythomas701]

And how many have been abandoned and sunk that can possibly be leaking fuel ,oil and what else into the surrounding area

[@syntaxerorr]

I can't believe something so large can have all identifying marks removed.

[@unnamedchannel1237]

North Koreans are very sneaky people

[@papaalphaoscar5537]

The engines are probably shot and towing it to a boneyard is too costly. Breaking it up cheaply in Bangladesh is likely not an option because it needs to be beached under its own power.

[@truthsRsung]

PAO...You have a knack for stating the obvious and unimportant. Do you teach children for money?

[@beeble2003]

@@truthsRsung There are plenty of people asking why a ship like this would be abandoned, so this clearly isn't obvious to everyone. Stop being a jerk and contribute something positive, instead of complaining at people who answer other people's questions.

[@onrr1726]

I'm wondering if it was beached and maybe escaped in a storm and nobody noticed missing?

[@crinkly.love-stick]

@@beeble2003 I'm surprised he hasn't reported your comment yet. He did mine, when I called him out for being an unhelpful twat.

[@simonolsen9995]

Hi there Chief MAKOi. You remind me so much of the Mate aboard the tramp I crewed as a green lad back in the 80's. That bloke taught me so much about life. I can't thank him, so I'll send you some best wishes. Cheers.

[@Bbonno]

Any chance that some ship owners regularly do this, and this one just happened to get caught? What are the shady advantages to abandoning ships?

[@mekaerwin7187]

Insurance payouts, and if getting the ship to a scrapyard would cost you more than the scrapyard would pay, avoids disposal fees. I know this gets done on a "more often than it should" basis with privately owned small vessels and I imagine it's reasonable to think bigger companies might do the same.

[@cup_and_cone]

It's probably very common...especially with countries that don't really care about environmental concerns or have poor government enforcement to sink old ships.

[@ukaszw6623]

@@mekaerwin7187 owners get money for scrapping ship not giving money :D

[@mekaerwin7187]

@@ukaszw6623 Yes, but if you have no money it's hard to get it there in the first place.

[@sylviaelse5086]

If the crew wanted the ship to sink, wouldn't that have been easy enough to arrange? Leaving it afloat seems just asking for trouble later if it's found before it eventually sinks of its own accord.

[@ag4103]

The kind of selfish individuals that would abandon a ship in the first place I am sure would not care enough to get rid of it effectively

[@sylviaelse5086]

@@ag4103 I was rather assuming that this was done at the behest of the owner, who would want the ship definitively gone.

[@jonepomuk]

To me it sounds pretty odd that this ship floats around the seas for a year and when the navy tries to tow it, it suddenly sinks? Maybe they just sunk it to avoid further hassle? Does anyone know if a ship like that is worth anything, e.g in scrap?

[@cup_and_cone]

No, it's not worth anything. Only certain dry docks can accommodate a ship that size. The amount of labor necessary to break the ship apart and then environmentally dispose of materials will outweigh any scrap metal costs.

[@snowmiaow]

I thought that was odd too.

[@JimsEquipmentShed]

With a boat that far gone? probably not unless you can get it to Bangladesh, and then only a few thousand. The costs to get it to the breakers will be not much more than a break even.

[@fredandersen9873]

Not odd, it makes perfect sense. "Oops, it sank" problem solved.

[@glennchartrand5411]

Towing a semi flooded ship with a heavy list is dangerous because the tension of the tow line can cause it to roll.

[@morenofranco9235]

Thanks, Chief. Always good.

[@wormhole331]

I’ve been watching a lot of single-handed sailing lately and can you imagine having your boat run into this when you’re sleeping at night. It’s obviously The owners ditched this to the sea Because they don’t want to deal with it anymore and it makes me angry the lives they put at risk By doing this.

[@dmitripogosian5084]

You have a much better chance to hit a floating semi-submerged container

[@wormhole331]

@@dmitripogosian5084 like in the movie “All is lost” I imagine that happens pretty often.