The Thai navy has intercepted an abandoned ship floating in the Gulf of Siam, finding no sign of crew members or reason as to why it was adrift.
The 80-metre Fin Shul Yuen 2 was filmed by sailors, its interior rusting and water seeping into the hull below deck, causing it to list to one side.
In stills from the navy’s video, soldiers armed with automatic rifles patrol the vessel’s bridge, beside wall charts – perhaps maintenance logs – and what appears to be a basic navigation instrument.
The ship had Chinese markings, but there has been no confirmation of its origins, such as the country or company with which it was registered or of what its cargo was.
Ghost ships are often tracked and towed by navies and coast guards around the world because they pose a danger to oil rigs and to shipping at night.
The Thai navy said initial plans to pump water out of the vessel and tow it to safety had been put on hold because of bad weather.
On Saturday evening, the ship sank during a second attempt to tow it, said Rear Adm Surasak Pratanworapanya.
The Bangkok Post reported that the ship, which was drifting dangerously close to oil rigs, appeared to have been abandoned intentionally, with no sign of crew or documentation on board.
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
England squads for Test and T20 series against New Zealand
Test squad: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes
T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Pat Brown, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, James Vince
Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Asian Cup 2019
Quarter-final
UAE v Australia, Friday, 8pm, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
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