New car ferry service connecting Chonburi with Prachuap to operate 180km south of Hua Hin - Thai Visa

 New car ferry service connecting Chonburi with Prachuap to operate 180km south of Hua Hin

 

Image: JustFerries. Photo of the MV The Blue Dolphin ferry when it operated in Hokkaido, Japan.

 

More details have been released regarding the proposed new ferry service that is expected to link Sattahip, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Songkhla. 

 

A post on the page of the Hua Hin Municipality suggested that a car ferry service operated by the Seahorse Ferry Co Ltd would be run between Sattahip and the Prachuap Khiri Khan port, which is located in Bang Saphan, which is at least two hours south of Hua Hin. 

 

The start date was earmarked for later this month.

 

The ferry to be used is the MV The Blue Dolphin - announced in earlier Thaivisa reports as the vessel that would operate daily between Sattahip (Juk Samet port) and Songkhla in the south.

 

The post suggested that the ferry will be in port at 10pm and leave at 2 am the next day. Service would be daily.

No foot passengers, only vehicles would be allowed initially.

 

The ferry has capacity in a 916 meter area for 100 10 wheel trucks. It can carry 586 passengers and has cabins and eateries. 

 

It had initially been thought that the new car ferry service would be an almost de-facto replacement for the passenger service which had operated between Hua Hin and Pattaya until March last year.

 

Earlier this week, Thaivisa reported how the service, which had been operated by the Royal Passenger Co. Ltd., has been scrapped, with the company ceasing trading.

 

However, rather than connecting Hua Hin and Pattaya as was the case with the previous service, it would appear the aim of the new car ferry service is to more specifically connect Chonburi with the south of Thailand.

 

It is also worth noting that the waters around Hua  Hin, or specifically in Khao Takiab, which is the location of the pier where the Royal Passenger Co. Ltd. service operated, are not deep enough for a large car ferry. 

 

A proposed new port in the Pak Nam Pran area, some 15 minutes south of Hua Hin, is yet to be built. 

 

This port was originally touted as the location for a car ferry service back in 2018, and was said to be a key part of the proposed "Thailand Riviera" project, the Thai government's ambitious plan to develop 528km of coastline including in the provinces of Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon and Ranong.