The port
A 230-berth marina opened in 2008 in Ao Po Bay, northeast Phuket, funded by businessman Premchai Karnasuta, with 24/7 tide-free access.
Opened in August 2008 in Ao Po Bay, on Phuket's northeast coast facing Phang Nga Bay, Ao Po Grand Marina was privately funded by Thai businessman Premchai Karnasuta (CEO of the Italian-Thai Development construction group) together with local partners, under the supervision of managing director Kasem Chiarasomboon, who had previously helped plan the nearby Phuket Boat Lagoon. Grown from 200 to 230 berths since opening, the marina claims round-the-clock, tide-free access through a deep-water channel: according to its own website, Kasem Chiarasomboon used to say there was no need to keep tide tables at the marina office. Two travel lifts (47 and 80 tonnes) serve a 60-space hardstand, the larger one taking boats up to 30 metres with a 3.4-metre draft. Customs and immigration formalities are not handled on site: the website states the marina can arrange a clearance agent, without detailing a dedicated control centre, unlike the zone's two other FairWinds marinas, which are centralised at Ao Chalong.
