Raising Phoenix: Salvage crew hopeful to retrieve boat wreckage within 24 hours

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03:03

Salvage teams are optimistic they can raise the wreckage of a sunken passenger boat within the next 24 hours. It capsized off the Thai coast in July, killing 47 Chinese tourists. The salvage operation has already been underway for 2 months. But the Thai company recently admitted defeat. A team of Singaporean experts has now arrived, with special equipment. Tony Cheng reports.

A Royal Thai Police patrol boat heads out into the Andaman sea from the holiday island of Phuket, but they are notoriously fickle, often throwing up high waves and strong undercurrents.

Their destination, just 3 and a half kilometers off the coast, the exact spot where just 4 months ago, the Phoenix, a cruise boat, sank, taking the lives of 47 Chinese tourists.

As they approach, a huge floating crane comes into sight.

After 2 months of unsuccessfully trying to raise the wreckage of the Phoenix from the seabed, the salvage crew is now optimistic they can do it within 24 hours.

The huge crane arm, capable of lifting ten times the weight of the sunken ship.

TONY CHENG PHUKET "This is the enormous 1,200 ton crane that's been shipped up from Singapore. It's sitting atop a very solid base which they say they hope will give it enough ballast and strength to be able to lift the wreckage of the Phoenix from 47 meters below the water despite the very fast undercurrents that have hindered the recovery so far."

And that's not the only challenge.

Huge girders sit on the deck waiting to be welded to the hull of the Phoenix ahead of the lift. The salvage crew say the weather conditions are now favorable, but they have one big concern, the meter of sand covering much of the hull.

TANAPAT HEMANGKORN SALVAGE TEAM LEADER, SEACREST MARINE "We hope she hasn't been sucked in by the sand, so if we don't have that weight we can lift easily. But if we have that weight, it applies more weight to the boat. That's why we have a big crane."

And a large delegation from the Thai police.

No effort has been spared to raise the Phoenix intact, preserving vital evidence in the search for accountability and blame.

This accident has had a serious impact on tourist bookings from China, down as much as 40%.

MAJ. GEN. SURACHET HUKPAL CHIEF INVESTIGATION OFFICER "The main reason we're doing this is so we can use it as central evidence in the investigation, so we can show the Chinese government we are conducting a legitimate investigation to find out why their people died."

The final lift is anticipated for Thursday if clear conditions prevail.

But it's unclear if the truth about this accident will be any closer once the Phoenix has risen or if it will remain buried in the depths.

Tony Cheng, CGTN, Off the coast of Phuket in Southern Thailand.