The oil price crisis, with an increase of 6 baht per liter, has affected tourist and fishing boat operators in Bang Sare and Sattahip districts of Chonburi Province, forcing them to dock their boats and halt services due to unbearable costs.
On 26 March 2026, following the announcement of a 6 baht per liter increase in all oil prices overnight, widespread impacts were felt, especially in Bang Sare and Sattahip districts of Chonburi Province. Recent field reports found that many tourist and fishing boat operators have had to dock their boats and suspend services because soaring costs have made operations unprofitable.
In an interview, Somprasong Boonthamchuay, a representative of tourist and fishing boat operators, revealed that this oil price increase has severely impacted the sector, particularly small operators with limited budgets.
“Today, we are forced to operate at a loss just because customers have already arrived. But if oil prices continue to rise, we will have to start refunding deposits and may need to temporarily suspend operations because we cannot afford the expenses,” Somprasong said.
Some operators mentioned that several boats have already stopped running and cannot provide services due to fuel costs exceeding their revenues. This has caused a chain reaction affecting tourist boat businesses, fishing operations, and local fishermen in the area.
Operators are urging the government to urgently step in and resolve the problem before the marine tourism business in Sattahip suffers even greater damage.