Safety inspectors find fault with Vietnamese tourist boats following drowning
Tourist boats that offer overnight stays on Halong Bay in Vietnam have been told to raise quality and upgrade standards, including on-boat security, following an inspection by local authorities concerned about safety at the World Heritage site.
Thai news publication, TTR Daily, said the inspection was in response to the February disaster when a cruise boat sank during the night while at anchor in the bay. Twelve foreign tourists died.
The boat took on water in its hull and sank in seconds as tourists slept in their cabins. The captain, some crew members and 15 tourists survived.
The captain was arrested and charged with reckless behaviour.
According to provincial authorities, a subsequent inspection of the boats used by tour operators for overnight stays concluded 37 vessels had poor water partitions in hulls that are designed to prevent flooding, while 41 had inadequate fire fighting and pump equipment.
By TravelMole Asia
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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