Every Phuket tour boat is being checked

By Kritsada Mueanhawong

 

 

Deputy Commander of the Tourist Police Bureau, Maj Gen Surachet Hakparn, with the help of the Marine Department, are checking about 400 tour boats in Phuket. Any boat found not fully compliant to leave port with all its safety equipment in working order, will remain at port.

 

Maj Gen Surachet says, “All about 300 to 400 tour boats in Phuket are being checked. Boats must be fixed if they are found with incomplete safety equipment or are unsafely heading to sea in any way. We have to get back tourist confidence when they are travelling in Phuket.”

 

“If there is any boat that leaves port and then later capsizes, boat inspectors will have to take responsibility too.”

 

Full Story: https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/every-phuket-tour-boat-is-being-checked

 

-- © Copyright The Thaiger 2018-7-16

However, it is noted that fast passes are available for quicker departure.

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

“If there is any boat that leaves port and then later capsizes, boat inspectors will have to take responsibility too.”

Brilliant. That will fix the problems.

 

Thank goodness there are no icebergs to hit, but what about explosions, fires, and sinkings' without capsizing? 

 

There will not be an inspector to be found.

Its a step in the right direction. I was wondering if this is why so many boats still remain in port or if its because there bookings cancelled.

Lets see what happens with the bad weather arriving  tomorrow. Will the navy be doing more big boat pick ups for small boat operators that venture out.

21 minutes ago, quadperfect said:

Its a step in the right direction. I was wondering if this is why so many boats still remain in port or if its because there bookings cancelled.

Lets see what happens with the bad weather arriving  tomorrow. Will the navy be doing more big boat pick ups for small boat operators that venture out.

Today nearly all boats went out again, boats not going these last days probably obeyed the earlier, later amended, ban till July 15.

Yes and they want to look at the inspectors and Phuket marine chiefs bank accounts.are the inspectors the same people who inspected the boats before this accident because if so they need charging for failing to do their jobs and put people's lives at risk.not only do they pocket money for nothing they are totally incompetent of doing their job.as for bringing back tourist confidence,well most tourists are like sheep and will just carry on as normal.

2 hours ago, 300sd said:

Thank goodness there are no icebergs to hit

There are some containers around anyway...

 

After this news I feel very safe, I'll probably head to Phuket tomorrow to take a boat trip, you'll see the Chinese will shortly book back their hotels...

ain't gonna help much what is written above

 

port? that is (in legal terms) the commercial port in Phuket, other anchorages are not port in the legal sense ( rules do not apply )

 

regardless;

checking boats is OK but not crucial

the important bit is that the drivers of the boats really understand boats, their strengths and weaknesses and understand

what sort of weather they can take and cannot take

 

you can make as many rules and as many safety checks as you like,

doesn't really matter if you have drivers that do not understand boats and weather

 

Only Phuket?

Boats that fail safety procedures must be impounded and get fixed by marine Dept then pass the bill to owners with safety certificate.Failing to pay within a grace period then it can be auctioned off.

WHY ONLY PHUKET and not the entire country/industry??

At least more B.E?

I think they forgot something in the news headline:

Every Phuket tour boat is being checked... for one month

And after that, back to normal!

19 hours ago, thequietman said:

However, it is noted that fast passes are available for quicker departure.

 

 

the bottom line

Yep, here we go again, close the stable door after the horse has bolted !!

Meanwhile all the old mini vans are slowly returning back into service (death traps on wheels)

Even Toyota admits that they were never designed as passenger vehicles

Yep, here we go again, close the stable door after the horse has bolted !!
Meanwhile all the old mini vans are slowly returning back into service (death traps on wheels)
Even Toyota admits that they were never designed as passenger vehicles

And still waiting for the long announced mini busses.
In another article about the opening of the new minivan terminal in Bangkok this topic resurfaced again.

These boats need to be hauled out of the water for a proper inspection, especially those made of wood. This should become an annual inspection to help insure safety of passengers and all boats should have a placard posting the maximum capacity of each boat.

So a tragedy is what is required to initiate some preventative action? Lot's more to be done, hopefully more don't have to die to make it happen.

4 hours ago, Searat7 said:

These boats need to be hauled out of the water for a proper inspection, especially those made of wood. This should become an annual inspection to help insure safety of passengers and all boats should have a placard posting the maximum capacity of each boat.

All boats have that placard, all boats are required to be certified yearly.

7 hours ago, Searat7 said:

These boats need to be hauled out of the water for a proper inspection, especially those made of wood. This should become an annual inspection to help insure safety of passengers and all boats should have a placard posting the maximum capacity of each boat.

 

that is already happening - and has been happening for years (not the hauling though - not much point in hauling)

 

that do not solve problems

 

the problems are pretty much the same as what is causing the high death toll on Thai roads

it is not low quality cars with bad brakes or whatever - it is the drivers

they go too fast they tail gate they drink they do not concentrate and a host of similar stuff

 

boat drivers do not care, do not understand weather, do not have understanding of windage and stability

do not understand what "abuse" their boat can take and can not take

and generally don't give a shit that they don't understand - and they're happy enjoying a beer in stead

 

 

Quote

 

What a bunch of B.S. fodder for the media in order to appease everyone...Nothing!..Absolutely Nothing will be done that has any legitimacy....Who exactly is checking these boats that has any REAL knowledge?...Some idiot knucklehead wearing a clown gov't uniform is going to look in the boat and deem it ok???...Everyone knows that Thailand is full of baloney, lies and phony smiles...

10 hours ago, stevenl said:

All boats have that placard, all boats are required to be certified yearly.

When you say certified do you mean thoroughly inspected and passed as fit for purpose, or the issue of the certificate on payment of the fee.

boats are properly surveyed and measured when registered and tabien ruua issued

number of pax and crew is calculated and inserted into the tabien ruua

 

there are some fairly well educated and knowledgeable people in the Marine Dept.