Phuket and Krabi province officials meet for marine safety meeting

Authorities from Phuket and Krabi provinces have met to discuss marine safety, boat management and the tourism situation on Koh Phi Phi.

About 33 authorities plus media from Phuket led by Phuket Governor, Norapat Plodthong, left from Ao Po Pier on Saturday heading to Phi Phi to meet with Krabi authorities led by Krabi Governor, Second Lieutenant Apinan Puakpong and Krabi Police Commander, Pol Maj Boontawee Toraksa.

“There are 500 speedboats registered in Krabi Province and there are 2,000 speedboats registered in Phuket. There are about 1,500 speedboats travelling from Phuket to Krabi (including Koh Phi Phi) each day. We have Tourist Centres on Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta with voice recordings informing boat passengers about the basic instructions onboard. All the boats leaving from Krabi piers have been checked before departing,” said Krabi Governor.

The meeting focused on boat management, boat parking and service standards. The meeting also mentioned the explosion in front of Viking Cave on January 14.

“I would like all departments involved to be strict on checking the condition of the boats, Captains and staff before the boats depart. If anything is not 100% ready, the boat must not leave,” he said.

Meanwhile, Phuket’s Governor said that he has asked the Phuket Marine Office to gather data for questions such as… “what are the destinations of the boats leaving from Phuket”, “how many passengers per boat and what are their nationalities”. The data will be uploaded online by the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA). Phuket Office and Krabi and Phang Nga authorities can reach and download the information in case of an accident in the area of the three provinces, making rescue efforts more efficient.

The DEPA – Phuket Office Manager, Pracha Asawatheera, also explained about the process to collect the data of the boat’s passengers.

“We will upload Excel files on the website of DEPA, which include the number of passengers per boat, the names of the passengers, their passport number, nationalities and destinations. User account and password will be granted to the departments involved to download the information,” he said.

Phuket’s Governor added that the two provinces will cooperate to work on trash and wastewater in the Andaman tourism attractions by asking for cooperation from businesses, locals and travellers to “keep the natural resources, beaches and coral reef clean and lush for sustainable tourism”.