Ministers launch life vest exchange project in Phuket

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Ministers launch life vest exchange project in Phuket
Nattha Thepbamrung


Life vests can make you look good: Pretty girls with a wall of new life vests yesterday.

PHUKET: Two ministers visited Phuket yesterday (December 22) to launch a Life Vest Exchange Project.

The aim of the project is to improve marine safety by exchanging new life vests supplied by the government for thousands of battered old life vests being used by tour companies. Yesterday 1,600 life vests were swapped.

The project covers Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi and is part of the “Returning Happiness to Thailand” campaign launched by PM Gen Prayuth Chan-Ocha.

The Minister of Tourism & Sports, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, explained at the launch at Royal Phuket Marina, “Phuket is one of the main places in Thailand for marine tourism, so I am glad to see that local marine tourism companies are interested in joining this event.”

Minister of Transport ACM Prajin Janthong said that the project will help promote trust among tourists in Thai marine tourism.

ACM Prajin said, “This is an activity that public and private sectors can do together. Added to the new rules for passengers on tour boats, the life vest exchange project can help to ensure safety in marine tourism in these three provinces.”

The intention is to hold future exchange sessions until every tour company has all new life vests.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/ministers-launch-life-vest-exchange-project-in-phuket-50269.php

-- Phuket News 2014-12-24

[northernboy]

Who got the kickback on that government contract.

More freebies for the good of the present government. As if a well written safety law and enforcement was not enough to require a proper supply of life jackets on all the tourist vessels. Seems to work in most countries.

[Longstaff]

Firstly I applaud the initiative to improve safety of tourists undertaking aquatic activities with commercial operators. And if a wise head has worked out that this is cheaper and more efficient and gets the outcome quicker than employing officials to try and cajole operators into doing the right thing, then I applaud that too.

However, in the longer term initiatives like this shift responsibility for client safety away from the operator, and this is unwise. I am picturing the 900 horsepower power boats that serve the dive industry, guzzling in excess of a tonne of gasoline each and every day they operate. I think any business plan that handles such colossal daily expenses can easily accommodate the regular replacement of essential safety equipment. Ultimately regulation and education, with a regime of inspection and enforcement are necessary.

[fester the benevolent]

Why are taxpayers being forced to give a subsidy to businesses which choose to ignore mandatory safety regulations?

What's next? Is the government going to provide free brake system replacements for all the tour buses in the region?

Inspect the boats and if they are not up to scratch then impound them until any issues are rectified. Word will spread like wildfire and there will be a mad rush to buy lifejackets so the boats will be up to standard without putting the taxpayer on the hook for the greed and incompetence of a few boat owners.

[Suffinator]

Not a bad idea but if current laws were enforced then the operators themselves would have to bear the costs of such items and not the taxpayer.

By initiating such a scheme it clearly shows the lack of care and ultimately safety the tourist operators have for their own customers.

[Benmart]

Private companies should comply with the applicable maritime and other safety laws of be forced to stop operating by enforcement agencies.

On the surface, this looks like a good idea. However, the government should not be in the business of purchasing items for private businesses. What next? Pay for boat inspections and repair. Pay for training and certification of boat operators. A very slippery slope indeed.

The enforcement arms of the appropriate agencies seem to beg reform.

[fester the benevolent]

On the surface, this looks like a good idea.

That is the nub of it. It is purely window-dressing. A band-aid on a bullet wound that does nothing to address the underlying problem.

If anything it will add to the risks tourists face on boats, with the precedent set of getting free life jackets from the government what meagre incentive there currently is to provide them disappears. Boat owners can flout the rule safe in the knowledge that the government will bail them out again just like last time: No life jackets? Sorry, the government didn't gve us any - take it up with them!

If in the future the government decides not to provide free jackets it will immediately open itself up to accusations of no longer caring about tourist safety, an accusation that will be extremely hard to refute.

The only workable solution which will demonstrate concern and be effective now and in the future for tourist safety is to prevent delinquent businesses from operating until remedial action is taken to meet the safety requirements of the law.

It is also worth asking what is going to be done to ensure the nice new life jackets actually get used because without rigourous checking they will likely end up on a stall in Phuket's weekend market or carefully stored away and only unpacked in the event that yet another crackdown is announced.

Picture a boat of happy tourists in their bright life jackets and a pier full of dignatories beaming proudly and wishing them Bon Voyage as the cameras snap away and 5 minutes later when the boat rounds the headland the jackets are ripped from the tourists and stashed ready for the next check.

Edited December 24, 2014 by fester the benevolent

[SidFernwilter]

A proper self righting lifejacket with light according to Safety Of Life At Sea convention (SOLAS) is the only option for any serious operator.

Thailand do not have to invent the wheel, just amend international conventions like SOLAS and STCW made by the IMO, the only way make sure there will be a safer boat ride.