Issued at 12.00 Hrs. (GMT+7) on 15 July 2018
Phuket Provincial Governor Mr. Norraphat Plodthong and Vice Admiral Somnuk Preampramot, Commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Naval Area Command, today led officials from the Phuket Office of Tourism and Sports and Phuket Marine Office to inspect safety measures and standards at Rassada Pier, one of Phuket’s main departure points for ferry trips to the surrounding islands.
The inspection covered from the control system for the embarkation and disembarkation of passengers and vessels to the identity management of passengers and crews before each vessel is to be allowed to set out to sea. Rassada Pier is reportedly using a key card system for the embarkation and disembarkation of passengers and operating a CCTV system outfitted with facial recognition technology.
Phuket Provincial Governor Mr. Norraphat Plodthong said Rassada Pier was selected for the inspection due to its capacity for large vessels. He said information collected would be put into discussion with relevant authorities to review all marine tourism safety measures and standards to cover all types and sizes of vessels. The safety training requirements for crew also needed a review and strict enforcement.
As an immediate measure, Mr. Norraphat has instructed the Phuket Marine Office not to allow any vessel to set out to sea if safety measures at any pier are deemed to be substandard.
Vice Admiral Somnuk Preampramot, Commander of the Royal Thai Navy Third Naval Area Command, said the Royal Thai Navy had stepped up its efforts to protect tourists by including more mobile security personnel units at Phuket’s main piers. Patrol boats have also been dispatched, aiming to be able to issue weather alerts to vessels at sea about impending storms and to instruct them to immediately return to port.
