Phuket tour boat operators arrested for safety breaches

Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and Marine Police Region 8 yesterday arrested two tour boat operators in Phuket for a series of breaches.

The authorities detailed their infractions in an online post, including operating boats with expired registrations, failing to provide adequate life rafts and overloading their vessels with passengers.

The routine check-up led to the arrests on Klong Tha Jeen, a waterway in Ratsada located on the eastern edge of Phuket Town. The operators were in the process of ferrying tourists to nearby islands when their illicit activities were brought to light.

The first boat, as per the CIB’s report, was found to be violating several rules. Apart from the expired boat license, it was also carrying more passengers than legally permitted and lacked a sufficient number of life rafts. The second boat was also operating with an…