By Asia editor Karishma Vyas and Supattra Vimonsuk in Samut Sakhon, Thailand
6 hours ago
Fishermen say rising fuel prices are making their jobs unsustainable. (ABC News: Haidarr Jones)
When Captain Wongduen Meesamrong steered his fishing boat back to port through the Gulf of Thailand earlier this month after spending 15 days at sea, he was not expecting to return to unemployment.
Before he left, diesel was sitting at 83 cents a litre.
By the time he got back, it had more than doubled to about $2.22 a litre, a price that is far beyond the reach of most fishermen.
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"I'll have to stop working for a long time," he told the ABC as his crew offloaded crates of squid and small fish in Samut Sakhon, Thailand's largest fishing and seafood processing port.
"The fuel price is so expensive. We can't go out.
"We're in big trouble. All over the sea, people are feeling it."
Wongduen Meesamrong says fishermen "all over the sea" are feeling the pain.(ABC News: Haidarr Jones)
Across the country, tens of thousands of small and commercial vessels working in Thailand's multi-billion-dollar fishing industry are stranded on shore as the war in the Middle East and the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz strangle fuel supplies and push up prices.
Thailand is vulnerable because it imports about 50 per cent of its energy from the Middle East.
And in Samut Sakhon, fishermen and fishmongers alike tell the ABC their problems are compounded by the fact that consumers are trying to save money, reducing demand for their catch.
Across the country, tens of thousands of small and commercial vessels working in Thailand's multi-billion-dollar fishing industry are stranded on shore as the war in the Middle East and the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz strangle fuel supplies and push up prices.
Thailand is vulnerable because it imports about 50 per cent of its energy from the Middle East.
And in Samut Sakhon, fishermen and fishmongers alike tell the ABC their problems are compounded by the fact that consumers are trying to save money, reducing demand for their catch.
From the markets to the docks
"Millions of people will feel the impact because fisheries is an upstream business — there are a lot of businesses connected to it," said Sombat Rungruangsakorn, who owns two vessels, including the one Mr Wongduen captains.
The industry is extremely fuel-intensive. Thailand's fishing boats consume about 80-90 million litres of fuel per month, with many making voyages that stretch for weeks and cover more than 100 kilometres offshore. Even a small hike in prices can be difficult to manage.
Mr Sombat said the last time he saw such sudden and astronomical price surges was more than 30 years ago, during the Gulf War in the early 1990s.
Consumers, feeling the impact of fuel prices too, are also buying less seafood.(ABC News: Haidarr Jones)
Once fuel prices climb above $1.30, he said, it is simply not profitable to send his boats out.
At stake is not only the livelihood of fishermen and their families, but also the hundreds of thousands of migrants, mostly from war-torn Myanmar, who work on the vessels.
At stake is not only the livelihood of fishermen and their families, but also the hundreds of thousands of migrants, mostly from war-torn Myanmar, who work on the vessels.
Stolen fuel and jobs on the line
While the war has created this crisis, fishermen tell the ABC that unscrupulous actors are compounding it.
They are suspicious that at least some fuel is being hoarded on ships offshore as suppliers wait for prices to rise further before selling it on.
And they have good reason to be sceptical, with reports that up to 70 million litres of oil have gone missing from the southern port city of Surat Thani. The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) said it was examining transport records, vessel routes and possible ship-to-ship transfers at sea.
The fuel crisis is impacting on all parts of the supply chain in Thailand.(ABC News: Haidarr Jones)
Justice Minister Police Lieutenant General Rutthapon Naowarat told Thai media the fuel was unloaded from tankers onto smaller vessels, never to be seen again.
With anger mounting among small and large fishing businesses, the Thai government announced it was working on increasing supplies of B20, a cheaper fuel that mixes diesel with biodiesel, a type of alternative fuel usually manufactured from vegetable oil or animal fats.
This week, the government also began cutting retail diesel prices by roughly 9 cents per litre.
Justice Minister Police Lieutenant General Rutthapon Naowarat told Thai media the fuel was unloaded from tankers onto smaller vessels, never to be seen again.
With anger mounting among small and large fishing businesses, the Thai government announced it was working on increasing supplies of B20, a cheaper fuel that mixes diesel with biodiesel, a type of alternative fuel usually manufactured from vegetable oil or animal fats.
This week, the government also began cutting retail diesel prices by roughly 9 cents per litre.
Mongkol Mongkoltrirak says thousands of workers could lose their jobs.(ABC News: Haidarr Jones)
But the measure has not been welcomed by fishermen, who say the discount will do little to alleviate their problem.
"The price of seafood won't catch up with the price of fuel, which has increased rapidly in one month," said Mongkol Mongkoltrirak, the director of the Samut Sakhon Fisheries Association.
"If more than 80 per cent of fishing vessels are grounded, 150,000 workers will lose their jobs."
More on fuel prices
Mr Mongkol said he wanted the government to waive income tax for fishermen this year and create a recovery fund that offered loans without interest for those who had been forced to hang up their nets.
Without drastic measures, he warned, it would only be a matter of time before seafood supplies were affected in Thailand and abroad.
"The price of seafood will not increase immediately because there is still enough supply, but the demand is decreasing," he said.
"Consumers are worried that the crisis might drag on, and they want to keep money in their pocket."
$40 of diesel for $9 of fish
All eyes are now on peace talks between the US and Iran that are taking place in Pakistan. Many in Thailand's fishing community aren't familiar with how or why the war started, but they know that it has come with a high cost.
In the Tha Chin River in Samut Sakhon, just before it opens into the Gulf of Thailand, Sooksan Kanual woke up in the dark to try his luck.
But the measure has not been welcomed by fishermen, who say the discount will do little to alleviate their problem.
"The price of seafood won't catch up with the price of fuel, which has increased rapidly in one month," said Mongkol Mongkoltrirak, the director of the Samut Sakhon Fisheries Association.
"If more than 80 per cent of fishing vessels are grounded, 150,000 workers will lose their jobs."
More on fuel prices
Mr Mongkol said he wanted the government to waive income tax for fishermen this year and create a recovery fund that offered loans without interest for those who had been forced to hang up their nets.
Without drastic measures, he warned, it would only be a matter of time before seafood supplies were affected in Thailand and abroad.
"The price of seafood will not increase immediately because there is still enough supply, but the demand is decreasing," he said.
"Consumers are worried that the crisis might drag on, and they want to keep money in their pocket."
$40 of diesel for $9 of fish
All eyes are now on peace talks between the US and Iran that are taking place in Pakistan. Many in Thailand's fishing community aren't familiar with how or why the war started, but they know that it has come with a high cost.
In the Tha Chin River in Samut Sakhon, just before it opens into the Gulf of Thailand, Sooksan Kanual woke up in the dark to try his luck.
Sooksan Kanual spent $40 on diesel just to return with $9 worth of fish.(ABC News: Haidarr Jones)
The 50-year-old fisherman scraped together some money for fuel and took his long-tail boat out at four in the morning. But five hours later, when the ABC met him, he was regretting his decision.
He had spent almost $40 on diesel, and all he had to show for it was $9 worth of fish.
"It is not worth it. The fuel is so expensive, I can't stand it anymore. I'll have to find a job on land. It is the only way to survive," he said.
The 50-year-old fisherman scraped together some money for fuel and took his long-tail boat out at four in the morning. But five hours later, when the ABC met him, he was regretting his decision.
He had spent almost $40 on diesel, and all he had to show for it was $9 worth of fish.
"It is not worth it. The fuel is so expensive, I can't stand it anymore. I'll have to find a job on land. It is the only way to survive," he said.
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