A total of 83 international cruise ships with more than 310,000 passengers on board brought in more than 2 billion baht in tourism-related income to Thailand since the end of last year, says the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre (TMECC).
The figures were recorded from October to the present, said navy commander Adm Choengchai Chomchoengpaet in his capacity as deputy TMECC chief.
The TMECC ensures the safety of tourists on board cruise ships coming to anchor in the Andaman Seas and Gulf of Thailand, which is part of the government’s tourism promotion policy.
He spoke yesterday while observing a medical evacuation drill joined by about 5,000 passengers of 1,600 crew members on board Royal Caribbean International’s Spectrum of the Seas, a large Miami-based cruise ship.
The drill was the first of its kind to be conducted in Thailand, and went well, he said.
It was held as the end of the high tourist season in the coastal areas of the country draws near, he said. More will follow when the new tourist season begins in September, he said.
The drill was part of the TMECC’s response to a recent inspection by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
It pointed to Thailand’s lack of a specific organisation to oversee marine searches and rescues in case of a major disaster involving a large-sized passenger ship, a standard operation plan and the regular exercise of the plan, he said.
After the IMO assessment, the TMECC drafted its first search- and-rescue operation plan for incidents involving large ships, he said.
While the draft is being reviewed by the Office of the Search and Rescue Commission, the TMECC and its partner organisations have begun practising emergency drills, he said.
The drill yesterday dealt with airlifting patients from a cruise ship in a simulated situation, Adm Choengchai said, adding the exercise went smoothly and produced satisfactory results.
The TMECC has also adopted the use of big data technology to keep records of visiting tourists in a database.
This will help ensure their safety and promptly provide medical assistance, he said. The technology proved useful in several past search and rescue operations by the TMECC, Adm Choengchai said.