Tourist boat sinks outside Pattaya - At least 5 foreigners dead, many seriously injured

[mok199]

and yet again,but this time things ..................................................................................will change,they will launch another ''probe'',and then appoint another ''commity ,then they will have a huge press conference ...god this is getting pathetic...amazing ''romantic''thailand...

[HeijoshinCool]

Buses, minivans, trains, cars and now boats!

How are you supposed to travel in this country??

Seems like the only way to survive is, stay home.

Hope those who died didn't suffer.

My concept and advice I give to tourists is "Never leave the hotel room"

Ha! That's funny because a big resort on Koh Chang got tired of its guests going off property to eat and drink.

So, what do you think they did?

They told every guest at check-in that Koh Chang "very dangerous," and that they should not go out after sunset.

[sandhurstmolonski]

Very Sad Indeed ..

Also hoping the Toll does not Rise , have caught so many of these and Yes they can tip over quite easily especially if some Panic .

Really It needs to be announced , where the life jackets are and what emergency procedures are in place ..Possibly not Many .

Delightful ride when not over crowded .

Have experienced a couple of " High Seas " incidents , on " Island Hop " style tours , Im a little suprised there are not more " accidents " on the Over crowded Speed Boats .

Imagine being a Non Swimmer with Children ? ..Of which I'd guess there would be quite a few , particularly in this location . Its a Scarey Thought , hard enough to Save yourself in the Panic .

[sandhurstmolonski]

Buses, minivans, trains, cars and now boats!

How are you supposed to travel in this country??

Seems like the only way to survive is, stay home.

Hope those who died didn't suffer.

My concept and advice I give to tourists is "Never leave the hotel room"

Ha! That's funny because a big resort on Koh Chang got tired of its guests going off property to eat and drink.

So, what do you think they did?

They told every guest at check-in that Koh Chang "very dangerous," and that they should not go out after sunset.

I had Heard this Story ..Well , one way I suppose of keeping Revenue in House ..Maybe not so good with eye on the Big Picture .

[Guemlum]

Small coverage in this mornings London Metro paper. Wonder if any other tabloids follow suit?.

[DrTuner]

I was near the bali hai bridge yesterday when this was going on. The ambulances had serious trouble getting through the third road, with roadsides full of parked tourist buses and some of them making u-turns in the middle of it, mayhem.

Heard that some were taken to the Memorial instead of PBH. Personally I think I'd rather have gone to a slaughterhouse than that place.

[Lite Beer]

Ferry driver's licence revoked following Pattaya boat sinking
By English News |

BANGKOK, Nov 4 - Thailand's Marine Department has revoked the license of the boat driver following Sunday's tragic ferry accident off the popular Thai seaside town of Pattaya which drowned at least six passengers, while dozens remain missing.

Sornsak Saensombat, director-general of the Marine Department, inspected the accident scene today to investigate the cause of the ferry's capsizing.

He said initial investigation found that the boat was overloaded, while the life safety equipment was insufficient for all passengers on board.

The department is also considering revoke the ferry operator's licence, in addition to that of driver.

The double-decker ferry sank on Sunday afternoon near Koh Lan, a popular island destination close to Pattaya. Nearby ships and boats rushed to help assist the passengers and rescued a total of 209 people.

Rescue operations continued today to search for about 20 missing passengers.

Among the six casualties, a 48-year-old Korean man, identified as To Kin Man, was confirmed dead.

Three other victims were Thais, identified as Chuchart Comphunak, Aree Atyoko and Nanthavadee Sopitpong.

The ferry driver, Saman Kwanmuang, 48, is still at large after the accident.

Mr Sornsak said the Marine Department called a meeting of Pattaya ferry operators to help them better understand the law and regulations of boat transportation, especially regarding safety measures.

Mr Sornsak admitted that some operators have not followed regulations by receiving passengers directly from the beaches, rather than the docks, due to loopholes, so that department officials usually monitor the situation at the ports.

He said the marine department is prepared to enforce the regulations prohibiting the ferry to take passengers from the beaches so that authorities could do thorough inspection.

The operator's licence of those who violate regulations will be immediately revoked if they are found guilty, the marine department chief said, adding that more discussions will be held to set details of the rules. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-11-04

[Thai at Heart]

Keep in mind that the captains of those boats are probably just employees of the owners of the boat!

.... And now imagine how long he would keep his job if, for example - he would refuse to take on the extra dozend passengers after the ticket sales have reached the licenced limit?

Withis DAYS the boat owners would have replaced him with a more "flexible" master.

And this is not only the case in the LOS. No doubt there will be a "crack down" now, but hindsight is 20/20.

Ah! The Nuremberg plea. I was only following orders. That didn't work for those hurling bottles of petrol about in BKK, neither should it here.

Indeed, the internationally accepted laws of the sea are apparently suspended for Thai society. Edited November 4, 2013 by Thai at Heart

[Thailand]

Ferry driver's licence revoked following Pattaya boat sinking

By English News |

BANGKOK, Nov 4 - Thailand's Marine Department has revoked the license of the boat driver following Sunday's tragic ferry accident off the popular Thai seaside town of Pattaya which drowned at least six passengers, while dozens remain missing.

Sornsak Saensombat, director-general of the Marine Department, inspected the accident scene today to investigate the cause of the ferry's capsizing.

He said initial investigation found that the boat was overloaded, while the life safety equipment was insufficient for all passengers on board.

The department is also considering revoke the ferry operator's licence, in addition to that of driver.

The double-decker ferry sank on Sunday afternoon near Koh Lan, a popular island destination close to Pattaya. Nearby ships and boats rushed to help assist the passengers and rescued a total of 209 people.

Rescue operations continued today to search for about 20 missing passengers.

Among the six casualties, a 48-year-old Korean man, identified as To Kin Man, was confirmed dead.

Three other victims were Thais, identified as Chuchart Comphunak, Aree Atyoko and Nanthavadee Sopitpong.

The ferry driver, Saman Kwanmuang, 48, is still at large after the accident.

Mr Sornsak said the Marine Department called a meeting of Pattaya ferry operators to help them better understand the law and regulations of boat transportation, especially regarding safety measures.

Mr Sornsak admitted that some operators have not followed regulations by receiving passengers directly from the beaches, rather than the docks, due to loopholes, so that department officials usually monitor the situation at the ports.

He said the marine department is prepared to enforce the regulations prohibiting the ferry to take passengers from the beaches so that authorities could do thorough inspection.

The operator's licence of those who violate regulations will be immediately revoked if they are found guilty, the marine department chief said, adding that more discussions will be held to set details of the rules. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-11-04

Better late than never provided the rulings are enforced and not just for the short term.

[aechzen]

all abouth money !

[ginjag]

We will put matters right now this has happened. ?? Always the same, The people in government departments who's daily tasks in their work should be the scrutiny of all that applies to them, if they do no checks they have failed their job description.

In that department one needs to get of ones rear end every day ensuring that all is running according to the law.

It should be illegal to sell something without a receipt, in that way receipts are counted and due tax paid. This person overseeing the said ferry operations should have surely known about the non ticket operation, gone on for 30 years. Is he in on the deal ??? with receipts numbers can be counted, NOT we do not know how many more are missing----or----pathetic. Local government officer---SACKED.

[cMe2]

Ferry driver's licence revoked following Pattaya boat sinking

By English News |

BANGKOK, Nov 4 - Thailand's Marine Department has revoked the license of the boat driver following Sunday's tragic ferry accident off the popular Thai seaside town of Pattaya which drowned at least six passengers, while dozens remain missing.

Sornsak Saensombat, director-general of the Marine Department, inspected the accident scene today to investigate the cause of the ferry's capsizing.

He said initial investigation found that the boat was overloaded, while the life safety equipment was insufficient for all passengers on board.

The department is also considering revoke the ferry operator's licence, in addition to that of driver.

The double-decker ferry sank on Sunday afternoon near Koh Lan, a popular island destination close to Pattaya. Nearby ships and boats rushed to help assist the passengers and rescued a total of 209 people.

Rescue operations continued today to search for about 20 missing passengers.

Among the six casualties, a 48-year-old Korean man, identified as To Kin Man, was confirmed dead.

Three other victims were Thais, identified as Chuchart Comphunak, Aree Atyoko and Nanthavadee Sopitpong.

The ferry driver, Saman Kwanmuang, 48, is still at large after the accident.

Mr Sornsak said the Marine Department called a meeting of Pattaya ferry operators to help them better understand the law and regulations of boat transportation, especially regarding safety measures.

Mr Sornsak admitted that some operators have not followed regulations by receiving passengers directly from the beaches, rather than the docks, due to loopholes, so that department officials usually monitor the situation at the ports.

He said the marine department is prepared to enforce the regulations prohibiting the ferry to take passengers from the beaches so that authorities could do thorough inspection.

The operator's licence of those who violate regulations will be immediately revoked if they are found guilty, the marine department chief said, adding that more discussions will be held to set details of the rules. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-11-04

Better late than never provided the rulings are enforced and not just for the short term.

Usually a Marine Board of enquiry will establish the facts and determine the outcomes for any Marine Incident proportioning blame on all concerned to their

degree of responsibility be it the operator or crew concerned and until these outcomes are determined it is usual practice to suspend all operations and suspend the Certificates of any crew involved.

As Thailand is Signatory to I M O & S O L A S Conventions they should follow these Guidelines and due to the loss of life Criminal Proceedings may be pursued

at the discretion of a report displaying Negligence in the Performance of Duties.

As due process must be determined we must await a final Report concerning this Incident/

[coma]

Word on the street is the captain and deck hand are on the run and police have warrants out for their arrest. Anybody heard anything about that ?

Survivors are reporting that 15 minutes after leaving Koh Larn for Pattaya the boat came to an abrupt stop. When they asked the captain what was wrong, the answer was " out of petrol ". Not long after that she started taking on water rapidly which caused some passangers to jump off into the ocean. Others were grabbing for life vests, which they say there wasn't enough for all and that some were out of repair, before jumping into the sea. The elderly and children that weren't capable of jumping into the water went down with the ferry.

[Basil B]

Ferry driver's licence revoked following Pattaya boat sinking

By English News |

BANGKOK, Nov 4 - Thailand's Marine Department has revoked the license of the boat driver following Sunday's tragic ferry accident off the popular Thai seaside town of Pattaya which drowned at least six passengers, while dozens remain missing.

Sornsak Saensombat, director-general of the Marine Department, inspected the accident scene today to investigate the cause of the ferry's capsizing.

He said initial investigation found that the boat was overloaded, while the life safety equipment was insufficient for all passengers on board.

The department is also considering revoke the ferry operator's licence, in addition to that of driver.

The double-decker ferry sank on Sunday afternoon near Koh Lan, a popular island destination close to Pattaya. Nearby ships and boats rushed to help assist the passengers and rescued a total of 209 people.

Rescue operations continued today to search for about 20 missing passengers.

Among the six casualties, a 48-year-old Korean man, identified as To Kin Man, was confirmed dead.

Three other victims were Thais, identified as Chuchart Comphunak, Aree Atyoko and Nanthavadee Sopitpong.

The ferry driver, Saman Kwanmuang, 48, is still at large after the accident.

Mr Sornsak said the Marine Department called a meeting of Pattaya ferry operators to help them better understand the law and regulations of boat transportation, especially regarding safety measures.

Mr Sornsak admitted that some operators have not followed regulations by receiving passengers directly from the beaches, rather than the docks, due to loopholes, so that department officials usually monitor the situation at the ports.

He said the marine department is prepared to enforce the regulations prohibiting the ferry to take passengers from the beaches so that authorities could do thorough inspection.

The operator's licence of those who violate regulations will be immediately revoked if they are found guilty, the marine department chief said, adding that more discussions will be held to set details of the rules. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-11-04

Revoke his licence, do they not have to find him first?

Mr Sornsak admitted that some operators have not followed regulations by receiving passengers directly from the beaches, rather than the docks, due to loopholes, so that department officials usually monitor the situation at the ports.

Bull S**t, those ferries go between bally Hi pier and two piers on the island one on the nearside and the other on the far-side of the island, they can not get close in enough to pick passengers of the beach, Mr Sornsak is trying to pass the blame when in reality it was he and his departments job to enforce the rules.

I have been to Koh Larn twice by these ferries (four sailings), and each time the boat had more passengers than seats in actual fact they do not go until they can not shoe horn another passenger on.

Normally there are 3 people at the gang plank, two taking the money and one counting, I assume the ones taking the money are the crew and the one counting is agent or family of the ferry operator ensuring the crew do not pocket the money.

I hope when they proportion blame they call to account those who should have enforced safety rules who chose not to, or were so incompetent as not to be aware that boats were operating overloaded and/or not "sea worthy"

Edited November 4, 2013 by Basil B

[Billy The Kid]

God help them... RIP

[MaciejKlimowicz]

Polish MOFA confirms death of two Poles. But I can't seem to find this info in any local media

???

[HeijoshinCool]

The ferry driver, Saman Kwanmuang, 48, is still at large after the accident.

Check Mommy's house.

[homeseeker]

its possible we will never know how many people really died. At the moment what is being 'fed' to the public is between 5-7 deaths. I thought I read initial reports that 20 people were missing. But i guess the true extent of the disaster will not be revealed.

[coma]

The governor of Chonburi can confirm that :

1] Boat hit a rock before the captain tried to continue on to Pattaya without warning the passengers.

2] Boat was a construction transport vessel. Not designed to be used as a commercial passenger vessel therefore it is illegal.

3] As of 2 hours ago, yes both captain and deckhand are on da run.

[coma]

[coma]

Ferry sinks near Thailand's Pattaya, Russians among passengers - embassy

PATTAYA: -- A ferry with tourists has capsized in Thailand, near the beach resort city of Pattaya, Russia’s embassy in the country has confirmed to RT. At least five people have died, RIA Novosti news agency reports.

At least three of those killed are foreigners, Russia’s embassy consulate said. Their citizenships are now being established.

"There is no information on the nationality of the dead. It is known that among the injured were two Russians - a woman with a child. They were taken to hospital in the city of Pattaya,” Andrey Dvornikov, head of the consular department of the Russian embassy in Thailand, said. "Most likely there were many Russians on board,” he added.

So far, a total three Russians have been hospitilized.

The incident took place about 100 meters off the island’s Nuan Beach at about 5.30pm, the Bangkok post reports. The ferry carrying more than 50 Thai and foreign tourists was completing its last trip for the day and capsized en route to the mainland.

The report said that the ferry sank very fast and many people on the crowded boat had no chance to jump out.

At the same time, the National News Bureau of Thailand, the 12-meter long vessel was licensed to carry up to 150 people, but witnesses said that it was carrying over 200.

However, there has neither been any conformation of that nor any official reason of the accident.

-- rt.com 2013-11-03

The 12 meters long vessel...impossible, 200 passenger on a 40/42 feet boat... preposterous!

19 meters I read.

[evadgib]

Elsewhere in the Kingdom boats/owners/operators that have been involved in fatal accidents have gone on to do it again....

[robblok]

Thing is as usual they only go after the captain not the people with money the owners. Not saying the captain is not guilty.. but he is just a convenient scape goat it should go higher.. but it wont.

[coma]

Fresh of the press 15:56

Police have the boat captain in custody and have conducted an interview. In the interview the driver / captain has admitted that he was under the influence of both drugs and alcohol at the time of the accident. Which had impeded his ability to drive the vessel therefore steering it into a rock causing the ferry to sink.

[Pattaya28]

Why was there a lower number of life-jackets than passengers ? Answer. Because they thought they wouldn't be sunk.

Same story different situation.

Why do Thais overtake on blind bends ? Answer. Because they thought nothing might be coming around that blind bend.

These stories go on and on.

Sweep it under the carpet and move on to the next incident.

[coma]

Polish MOFA confirms death of two Poles. But I can't seem to find this info in any local media

???

I can't find any info on nationalities in Thai media also. I have read from an English media souce that one of the deceased foriegners is from Hong Kong. All Thai media is say is 3 foriegn and 3 Thai dead.

[striderman]

ok, i went down to bali hai this morning to see what was going on.

i understand from various news feeds that it was not a 30 bht each way ferry that most of us have used (typically turquoise in colour ) but one of the thinner white ones run by koh larn travel, which drop and pick from the beaches and charge 150 bht round trip

5 sister ships to the one that sunk were in dock and did not look like they were going anywhere at least today.

at the end of the pier there were a load of cops and various ambulance assets complete with a command HQ tent, plus a couple of thai tv news outfits, presumably waiting any news of navy diver search of the sunken vessel.

most annoying of all was that every ferry leaving and arriving had all passengers wearing life jackets. a great many of these were brand new, i stood and watched take loads out of poly bags. and i mean loads !!

i have no idea how many were on board but if as stated in one bkk paper i read yesterday it was the last vessel of the day to leave nuan beach so it will be a fairly safe bet to expect it to be full and probably overloaded

Edited November 4, 2013 by striderman

[robhufton]

I wonder how/if these boats ever get sea-worthiness certificates?

I understand that they are not actually ferries, but modified fishing boats with a 2nd upper deck added. This would make them top heavy to start with, then with over-crowding, an accident waiting to happen...

[i claudius]

Yes my wife said it was the last boat ,so a rush to get on and overloaded .

[coma]

The deckhand admitted to police that he was high on Yaa Baa at the time the boat struck the rock causing it to sink.