"Thailand’s early warning system for tsunamis has taken a big step backward with the revelation that its only tsunami direct detection buoy is not only inoperable, but adrift on the high seas.
Indian navy vessels first notified the Thai Ministry of Information and Communications Technology on June 3 that the buoy had gone adrift and was moving eastward toward the Thai coastline at an average speed of about 6 knots. A notice on the US government’s National Data Buoy System web page for the buoy currently reads:
"Station 23401 went adrift on 06/04/2010 and is no longer providing water column or Tsunami Event data. It will be restored into service when it can be recovered and then worked into Thailand’s maintenance schedule."
The buoy is now thought to be about 200 miles offshore, near the boundary of Thailand territorial waters."
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"After being adrift nearly a month and a half, Thailand’s tsunami direct detection buoy was discovered by Royal Thai Navy warship Bang Pakong 456 at about 6:30 this morning, July 17. Director of the Naval Civil Affairs Department at Cape Panwa, confirmed the buoy was located 194 nautical miles (350 kilometers) west of Phang Nga province."
http://www.phuketgazette.net/dailynews/index.asp?id=8962
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Phuket's only tsunami warning buoy adrift for 6 weeks
Started by Kirkland, Jul 17 2010 05:39 PM
3 replies to this topic
#2
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Posted 18 July 2010 - 01:57 AM
QUOTE(Kirkland @ Jul 17 2010, 05:39 PM) 
"Station 23401 went adrift on 06/04/2010 and is no longer providing water column or Tsunami Event data. It will be restored into service when it can be recovered and then worked into Thailand’s maintenance schedule."
What blithering idiot is responsible for monitoring the buoy? It wouldn't surprise me if it never worked properly. Those bomb/explosives detectors come to mind.
#3
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Posted 18 July 2010 - 12:56 PM
Seems to me that the battery in the buoy went dead last year, and no budget had been made for a replacement battery, so the dead one was not changed. I lost track of what happened after that. Is there now concern about a non-functional buoy no longer anchored in its original position?
#4
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Posted 19 July 2010 - 09:47 PM
QUOTE
Seems to me that the battery in the buoy went dead last year, and no budget had been made for a replacement battery, so the dead one was not changed.
As I recall, the USA gave the Thais this buoy. The Thais were waiting for the yanks to send a new battery.
Hehehe....
