Picking up speed in a push for boat safety

Picking up speed in a push for boat safety

After a series of fatal accidents rocked the industry, the Pattaya Marine Office says it's getting tough on lax operators

Pier over the edge: Above and right, surging tourist numbers mean Bali Hai pier can no longer accommodate all of Pattaya's speed boats.
Pier over the edge: Above and right, surging tourist numbers mean Bali Hai pier can no longer accommodate all of Pattaya's speed boats.

Despite the recent spate of speedboat accidents to hit the Thai tourism industry, Chinese tourist Ma Che has no qualms about taking a day trip from Pattaya to Koh Lan.

Ms Ma, 38, and her family of four from Kunming have booked a package tour and have no intention of missing the chance to visit the island 7.5km offshore and enjoy its famous -- if crowded -- white sand beaches.

"I'm excited to ride on the speed boat," she told Spectrum under a picture postcard blue sky as she waited to board the vessel. "Though it can be dangerous and scary, I'm not afraid. I've heard about many accidents on the speedboats but I am not scared. Accidents can happen anywhere."

It's the first time Ms Ma and her family have travelled on a speedboat and they said they were excited by the experience when they returned to the mainland late in the afternoon.

But two months ago, other Chinese tour groups were not as lucky. Consecutive accidents on April 26 and 27 in the waters off Koh Lan left one person dead and nine injured.

Since then the speedboat accidents involving both local and foreign tourists have continued, prompting the Thai Hotels Association to earlier this month demand the Tourism Ministry take measures to improves safety.

From May 26 to June 8, there were three accidents involving four speedboats off the eastern and southern coasts, killing six foreign tourists and injuring 60 others. The worst single incident was on May 26 when a speedboat capsized in strong seas off Koh Samui in Surat Thani province, killing four tourists.

On June 8, two Chinese tourists died and 34 other tourists were injured when two speedboats collided on their way from Phuket to Phangnga and Krabi provinces.

In the tourist haven of Pattaya, which is a self-governing special administrative zone, local authorities have attempted to solve the problem by enforcing their own laws to control negligent speedboat drivers.

Despite this, tour boat operators say the problem is rapidly growing tourist numbers and not enough officers to enforce and assist with water safety.

BUSY OCEAN

Pattaya has a wide range of aquatic activities to serve most tourists' needs, ranging from banana boats filled with screaming sun lovers to jet skis and speedboats dragging parasailers in the middle of the ocean.

In the waters from Bang Lamung district to Sattahip, there are hundreds of boats registered to operate in the busy tourist areas along Pattaya and Jomtien beaches. Pattaya's Marine Office says 800 speedboats, 30 double-decker ferries and 418 jet skis are registered to operate commercially.

Koh Lan is the number one destination for Pattaya visitors. According to statistics kept by the Pattaya Marine Office, Chinese tourists make up the largest group of foreign visitors to the island, followed by Indians and Russians.

There are two types of transportation to visit Koh Lan: double-decker ferry and speedboat. On weekdays, 5,000-6,000 people go to Koh Lan by ferry, with the number increasing to 10,000-12,000 on weekends.

Speedboats are commonly used by tour groups, especially the Chinese on package tours, to reach the island. Each speedboat can handle 40 people maximum, according to the Marine Office, and there are usually 300-400 tour groups per day to Koh Lan.

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Pattaya has increased from 3.5 million in 2014 to a projected four million people this year, according to Tourism Ministry figures. Most of them are on package tours which means the day trip to Koh Lan is included.

'THEY ALL SPEED'

Bali Hai was built in 1999 to serve as Pattaya's main pier and has a deep water zone for commercial ferries as well as a docking area for speedboats. However, erosion has affected the docking area and 800 speedboat operators are now allowed to pick up passengers from the north Pattaya beachfront.

‘Strong medicine’: Agarach Kuntaro, director of the Pattaya Marine Office, has vowed tough action.

In chaotic scenes every morning, hundreds of buses pull up along Beach Road to unload passengers looking to catch speedboats to Koh Lan. Thousands of tourists swarm over the area, and boat staff carry supplies to the island, including groceries, fresh food and water.

Prapha Kasemwanit, a 46-year-old business owner, has to deal with the morning mayhem on a daily basis. She doesn't mind that tourists are coming to take the boats and create traffic problems; she is more concerned about the consequences.

"I can count thousands of tourists going to Koh Lan," she said. "Hundreds of boats are waiting to serve them from here. The stretch here is long enough to handle all boats but when they get to Koh Lan, they only go to Ta Wane beach, and it is not long enough for the number of boats that are going there each day.

"These people [speedboat drivers] have to go there as quickly as possible and come back to take more passengers. A lot of accidents happen when they get closer to the island because they all speed to get there as fast as possible. I've lived here all my life and I've never visited Koh Lan. I have to admit that I am scared of the way these people operate the boats. It's a disaster waiting to happen."

Ms Prapha told Spectrum that many services are offered, such as taking tourists to sea at night to fish for squid, a popular activity among Asian tourists.

She said there are also many unregistered boats operated by migrants who are inexperienced with the conditions in the area. "Since the owners of these boats are Chinese or South Korean, they are unable to register with the Marine Office," Ms Prapha said. "There are no accident reports from this type of business yet, but they should do so in order to guarantee the safety for tourists."

ZONING FAILURE

The accident on April 26 was caused by a speedboat hitting a jet ski, and the following day two speedboats collided.

But the crashes this year are no different from previous years, according to the Pattaya Marine Office, which says 90% of boat accidents in the area are due to speed.

In an attempt to address the problem, the Marine Office is enforcing zoning laws for different types of vessels to have their own area of operation.

Agarach Kuntaro, director of the Marine Office, said from the shoreline to 150-300m is for swimming, 300-500m from shore is for banana boats, 500m and beyond for jet skis, and 1-1.5km for parasailing.

"Most of the time when accidents happen, it's from those who don't know the zoning rules, like tourists who rent the jet skis," he claimed. "Some of them get wild and go all over the place."

Mr Agarach blamed the April accidents on the buoys marking the zones not being in the water for the speedboat drivers to see.

"The boat drivers didn't see the buoys we floated as the mark to warn them that they are getting close to the shore and they should reduce their speed by 50%," he said. "On that day, the buoys were removed for maintenance, but still they should know better and reduce speed when they get close to shore."

Mr Agarach said the boat drivers from NPE Popeye and Blue Dragon 8 involved in the April accidents have had their licences revoked. The boats involved have been docked, but other boats from the same companies are still operating tours on a daily basis.

In 2013, seven accidents were reported to the Marine Office, four in 2014, two in 2015 and two so far this year. All of the accidents were in the Koh Lan area with the same cause: speed.

HARD TO SEE FORWARD

A 48-year-old speedboat driver who identified himself as Uncle Moo has more than 30 years of experience at sea. Moo paid 20,000 baht to get his boat operator's licence.

He says the company he works for mainly serves Vietnamese tour groups, although he was standing in an area occupied by Chinese tourists when Spectrum spoke to him.

He said as a local, he knows the sea conditions and rocky areas well enough to be able to avoid accidents. But one big obstacle that can easily create an accident is the design of the speedboat.

"When the speedboat picks up full speed, the bow of the boat will lift up and point in the air while the stern, where passengers are sitting, remains lower," he said.

"The elevated bow makes it difficult to see what is in front of us. We all have to look to the side and trust that other people don't come in our way, which works most of the time."

Moo said all the speedboat drivers are skilled enough not to cross each other's tracks. But sometimes jet skis operated by tourists cause problems, especially when they are operating outside their designated zone.

He says the stricter rules set by the Pattaya Marine Office make him and his fellow boat drivers uncomfortable as they don't know when and if they are breaking the law.

"My friend was fined for not having all the right paperwork with him, which would have cost him 5,000 baht as a penalty," he said.

"But because he argued with the marine officer, he ended up paying a 10,000 baht fine. It is uncomfortable to have to be more aware of this."

HERE TO HELP

Mr Agarach was appointed as the director of the Pattaya Marine Office a year ago after working at the operational level for 10 years.

He drafted the new marine regulations which were approved by the Chon Buri governor.

"I have to give them some strong medicine in order to cure the ongoing problems that have been going on for decades," Mr Agarach explained.

Besides zoning, Mr Agarach wants better water traffic control via CCTV cameras and GPS, improved integration with the Marine and Tourist Police, and reform of the screening process for boat operators.

"It used to be that anyone can operate a boat, but that was before me," he said.

"Now everyone who wants to operate a boat has to take a written examination and interview first. The boat driver must have a certain number of hours and experience in working on a boat in order to get a licence from us. Those who don't follow the rules will not be able to operate a boat in the Pattaya area any more as I will revoke their licence for good."

The Marine Office sends teams to check boats twice a month, which includes inspecting safety equipment and drivers. The Marine Office found two operators who were drunk while operating boats. Not only were their licences revoked, but they were charged and ultimately jailed for six months.

"I'm serious about this. No one with a criminal record can work in Pattaya as a boat driver. Safety is the number one concern for me and I will try everything to maintain this high standard," Mr Agarach said.

Panomsak Jaichuen, a speedboat driver with 10 years' experience, says the strict law are stressful as it is the only well-paid job he can do.

"Instead of being so strict with us, I think they [the Marine Office] should consider controlling the number of tourists who go to Koh Lan every day in order to create less traffic when we get to Koh Lan," he said.

"Accidents are unavoidable, even when we are being very careful. One of the other causes of accidents is the rubbish floating in the water. I almost hit a big chunk of wood before, that would have been the end of my career if I did," said Mr Panomsak.

MORE WORK, LESS SHOW

Sanit Boonmachay, president of the Pattaya Tourism Boat Club, says despite the April crashes, Pattaya's waters are relatively safe.

"Two boat accidents this year is not bad when compared with road accidents which happen on a daily basis. I believe we are doing a pretty good job to avoid accidents," Mr Sanit said.

"We are moving in the right direction in order to prevent accidents. I suggest the Marine Office and Pattaya City should have clearly visible buoys to indicate the entrance and exit zones where speedboats drop off and pick up passengers. It will be more permanent and effective than stricter laws."

Mr Sanit said his club is funded by boat operators in Pattaya. Historically, they have solved their own problems without the cooperation of local government.

He said when the accident occurred in April, they and local rescue crews arrived at the scene first. He said Marine Police, the Marine Office and Pattaya City did not come to help.

"They only want to be there when they can show their faces to the media. We are the real team working here, not them," Mr Sanit said.

He said local authorities should provide more safety teams at busy tourist spots.

"There are only five active officers working every day while the rest of them are busy doing something else to claim credit for doing nothing," he said. "There are more than 20,000 tourists per day and five officers from the Marine Office are not enough. I would like to request the government provide Pattaya with more officers to help make this popular town safe for all tourists."

Shore thing: Left and below, tourists get picked up from along the north Pattaya beachfront, meaning speed boats must dodge jet skis and parasailers.

Need for speed: Above and left, Chinese tourists make up the largest group using the speedboats to Koh Lan.

All at sea: Above and below, the waters off Pattaya are broken into zones, but the high traffic volume means the rules are not always followed.

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