Tourist speedboat collision blamed on recklessness

[webfact]

Tourist speedboat collision blamed on recklessness

By Salinee Prap 
The Nation

 

 

Phuket Governor Norapat Plodthong on Wednesday said the collision of two speedboats the previous day offshore Phuket stemmed from recklessness and urged the Marine Department to enforce laws and regulations strictly as to prevent similar incidents.

 

Meanwhile, the drivers of both speedboats were under investigation for charges of recklessness causing injury. 

 

 

Police inspecting the scene at the Royal Phuket Marina and Boat Lagoon Pier on Wednesday morning said they would need three to four days to investigate the cause of the collision, while officials from the Marine Department’s Phuket Office would check both vessels’ licences.

Officials will also determine if the boats will be seaworthy after repairs.

 

 

According to a report by the Phuket Gazette, the accident at the Ao Sapam Channel leading to the Boat Lagoon Pier occurred at about 4.30pm, resulting in eight people being injured, including several Italian tourists. 

 

The tourists, who had travelled to Phuket with the Costa Cruise Victoria anchored in front of Patong Beach, were in a speedboat named Satakamol 333 along with other passengers driven by 49-year-old Anucha Ngankaeng. 

 

As it was heading towards the marina pier, it was hit by another boat named Pimracha 5, driven by 22-year-old Aran Chouykankla, who was onboard with two other crewmembers. 

 

The left side of Satakamol 333 was severely damaged and the boat foundered although its engine was left intact, while Pimracha 5 only suffered scratches.

 

Norapat said he had instructed relevant agencies to ensure that the condition of boats is checked as well as drivers’ licences and identities before departures. Lists of passengers’ names and nationalities must be also recorded so authorities could provide assistance in case of emergency. 

 

 

As Phuket’s public piers cannot service the total demand for transport, many private piers have begun operating and have been urged to cooperate in implementing safety measures, including installing CCTV cameras and coordinating with piers boats are destined for, he said. 

 

Authorities would conduct a safety check and review all measures again before the Chinese New Year holidays in February, he added.

 

The speedboat collision took place just two days after another speedboat named King Poseidon 959 exploded on Sunday while heading from Phuket to Koh Phi Phi, resulting in 16 injuries. 

 

 

That case saw the boat captain and a crewmember being charged with recklessness causing injury.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30336513

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-01-18

[darksidedog]

Boat operators are reckless all over the country. I wish the marine authorities better luck in reducing casualties than they seem to have managed on the roads.

[huuwi]

you not need 4 days to investigate, just one afternoon, watch them coming into the chanel. i believe there is a 5kn speed limit to protect the mangrove's in the chanel.

[Darcula]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Officials will also determine if the boats will be seaworthy after repairs.

 

Duct tape made of used brown envelopes should do the trick.

 

[Deli]

they drive boats like minivans = brainless

[peperobi]

Those peoples (captains) are one part of the tourism destroyers in Thailand....

[johna]

The story first says Satakamol 333 was anchored off the beach and later says it was on its way to the pier when hit on the left (port) side by Pimracha 5. There's no information if Ao Sapam Channel has a traffic separation scheme, but clearly, Pimracha 5  should have given way to Satakamol 333.

[Get Real]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

the collision of two speedboats the previous day offshore Phuket stemmed from recklessness

Who in the world could anybody even get a thought like that? It´s all about safety and care for human lifes for all speedboat drivers in Thailand.

[saminoz]

The report said the struck vessel "foundered"!  There is no sign of that.

It didn't sink did it?

Useless reporting as usual.

[Moti24]

Tourist speedboat collision blamed on recklessness

It took them long enough to decide the obvious!  Probably spent a couple of days looking for the envelope that didn't arrive.

[keeniau96]

I have been up and down that channel many times and see that most boats observe good practice but always have some simply stupid, reckless fools. There is no designated channel separation, just the international rule of pass port-to-port. This is a tricky, curvy channel, mostly less than 3 m deep and only 2 m right at the mangrove line. Several tricky turns that are tempting to cut across for the reckless. All yachties knew such would happen and it does every now and then, just good luck that no serious injury.

[LivinginKata]

19 minutes ago, keeniau96 said:

I have been up and down that channel many times and see that most boats observe good practice but always have some simply stupid, reckless fools. There is no designated channel separation, just the international rule of pass port-to-port. This is a tricky, curvy channel, mostly less than 3 m deep and only 2 m right at the mangrove line. Several tricky turns that are tempting to cut across for the reckless. All yachties knew such would happen and it does every now and then, just good luck that no serious injury.

 

What .... channel seperation. Had these so called idiot 'drivers' never heard of port-to-port passing.

[PAIBKK]

That's what happens when you give brainless monkeys a few hundred horsepower...

[BernieOnTour]

Hasn't changed a lot in the last 300 years 

 

"the Siamese are just as bad sailors, as they are soldiers ..."

(Van Vliet in the year 1692)

[wavemanwww]

From a previous boat accident "That case saw the boat captain and a crewmember being charged with recklessness causing injury. " Punishment? Only assume Inactive post like the coppers.

They were sent to that big building in Bangkok with a huge sign, like all Thai Advertising signs on high risers saying, " Inactive post HQ's . 5 years ago that building had 25 floors. Now its 50 floors and growing fast!

 

PS I'm backkkkk

[cookieqw]

13 minutes ago, wavemanwww said:

From a previous boat accident "That case saw the boat captain and a crewmember being charged with recklessness causing injury. " Punishment? Only assume Inactive post like the coppers.

They were sent to that big building in Bangkok with a huge sign, like all Thai Advertising signs on high risers saying, " Inactive post HQ's . 5 years ago that building had 25 floors. Now its 50 floors and growing fast!

 

PS I'm backkkkk

Like to know why that boat exploded

[wavemanwww]

1 hour ago, cookieqw said:

Like to know why that boat exploded

Am I the boat captain ?  How would I know?

[wotsdermatter]

Surprised the owners of the boats did not try to get the tourists to pay for the damage because they must have taken the boats out without them being damaged.  Usually, from reading the news in Thailand the renter(s) are always the ones who cause the damage and the police, who are very handily close by, are called in to arbitrate and the non-Thai is always at fault. (Just a little tongue in cheek, folks.)

 

Do they have operator licences for boats in this country because another diver just got killed by somebody hitting her as she surfaced?  Do the boat handlers understand about DIVER DOWN flags and having to keep away from such locations?  Just curious.