Tourists rescued from boat stranded in stormy sea

By Sitthichai Sikhawat 
The Nation

 

 

Officials from the Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park in Krabi province and a private boat operator helped 14 Spanish tourists – including four children – return ashore after their boat engine broke down in the rough sea between Koh Phi Phi Don and Koh Phi Phi Le on Saturday afternoon.

 

The Marine Department’s Krabi office on Sunday continued to warn small boats to stay ashore as strong winds had created waves as high as 2-3 metres.

 

The video clip of the rescue of the Tiger Marine Charter Co Ltd tour boat with the tourists on board was captured in a video clip and shown to the media on Sunday.

 

The tourists were evacuated from the boat by the National Park patrol boat and private operator Arisa Group’s boat in a mission that that lasted more than an hour. The rough sea threatened to slam the tour boat onto the two rescuing vessels.

 

Park chief Woraphot Lomlim said the tour boat had left Phuket to the sea off Krabi but it suffered a mechanical breakdown while returning to Phuket. It took them an hour to finally call for help, as the initial spot had no signal, he said. The park officials and the private boat operator headed to the stranded boat, rescued the tourists and brought them to stay overnight at Koh Phi Phi.

 

The tour boat was towed for repairs to Ao Ton Sai in Muang Krabi, he said.

 

The tour boat and the tourists would head back to Phuket on Sunday afternoon, he added.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30354580

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-09-17

 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The Marine Department’s Krabi office on Sunday continued to warn small boats to stay ashore as strong winds had created waves as high as 2-3 metres.

In other reports just after the sinking of the Phoenix and the Chinese loss of life, didn't it state the Marine Department had the power to prevent boats going to sea?

Or was that some other equally useless department?

 

So after the recent sinkings and promise of a crackdown,as usual thing's go on as before,i too do not know if the Marine dept has the power to stop boats going out,i am sure if it did or does a brown envelope will do the trick.

Incompetence comes to mind, again and again.....

7 hours ago, webfact said:

It took them an hour to finally call for help, as the initial spot had no signal,

what sort of Mickey Mouse radios are these boats using, and do they comply with the safety regulations....Sorry, I take that back, and promise not to use logical thought processes any more.

1 hour ago, 300sd said:

Incompetence comes to mind, again and again.....

You can't cure stupid !!!

Meanwhile at the 8th floor of the TAT office: "Quick Somchai, get a new form sheet for another 'honest cabby' press release, make sure the guy who left the 100.000 baht in the cab is a tourist from spain and we should also send out a spanish language version."

Typical POS "tour" boat, should never be in operation. What kind of inspection is required, operator qualifications? Thai reputation? On and On, thankfully no one drowned and thanks to the rescuers.

So how was the captain and boat owner penalized?

Obviously enough time has past since the last disaster so things are back to normal.

Tour operators and the officials showing the Thainess we all know so well.

Marine officials and the government as a whole preach safety, tour operators only practice it where convenient and doesn't cost money!!

At the end of the day management aren't the ones not going home !!!

Never a lesson learned in the LOS

Must have been a fully Thai owned boat or there'd be charges and a press release ... so .. back to normal..

Many Thai bashing comments here, at least they were saved and the video shows a good rescue operation. 

What stormy sea? The engine broke down, they were transferred to another boat in mild choppy conditions. It happened on Saturday, the weather warning was on Sunday.

 

 

 

 

 Sounds like no radio and just relying on phone.no flares used if they had any.they were lucky they drifted into an area where they could get a signal after a hour without any power.as usual nothing learned by greedy tour operators.i thought it would be illegal to go to sea without proper communication and flares.

On 9/17/2018 at 11:37 AM, 300sd said:

Incompetence comes to mind, again and again.....

why you worry?!? Thai people no worry you see?!? Why you worry?!? Oh my God!