PHUKET: Experts have begun examining the raised wreck of the tour boat Phoenix to determine why it sank in July, drowning 47 Chinese tourists.
The wreck was lifted out of the water at Rattanachai shipyard, in tambon Rasada of Muang district, on Tuesday.
Deputy national police chief Roongroj Saengkhram, who heads investigation, has ordered tight security around the vessel, saying it contains important evidence.
Extra lighting has been installed, along with surveillance cameras. The dock is guarded by soldiers and police.
About 100 senior Thai and Chinese investigators began their examination of the vessel on Wednesday morning. They planned to look into the physical aspects of the boat, its history and why it sank.
The Phoenix was refloated from the seabed, about 45 metres underwater, on Saturday.
It sank in a storm near Koh Hae on July 5. The boat was carrying 89 tourists and 12 crew, returning from a snorkelling trip. Forty-seven tourists drowned.
An initial inspection found it was poorly built.
The government hopes the diligent investigation of the tragedy will boost confidence and restore Chinese tourist arrivals which have plunged.