Terrible accidents
In the early morning of February 17, 12 people, mostly foreign tourists, died when their vessel sank suddenly while they slept in Ha Long Bay, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its stunning limestone formations and one of Vietnam's most popular tourist destinations.
Visitors from the US, Sweden, Russia, Britain, Japan, France and Switzerland were killed when the wooden-hulled craft named Truong Hai 06 - one of many which tour the bay daily - went down before dawn.
The sailors said the boat sank because of a break in the lower hull. The boat took on water so fast that sleeping passengers had almost no time to escape the torrent that filled their cabins. Nine tourists and six crew members survived.
However, investigations showed that a crew member in charge of engine forgot to close the valves that allowed water in to cool the engine on both sides of the boat.
The captain and chief engineer of the tour boat were charged with violating safety regulations. The offence can bring several years of imprisonment upon conviction.
The boat owner, Truong Hai Co, was involved in another deadly accident in September 2009 when it operated under a different name. In the previous tragedy a boat belonging to the company sank during heavy rain, killing three foreign tourists and a local guide.
Many of the tall-masted tour boats, which resemble Chinese-style junks, have dining facilities and cabins for tourists to sleep while they anchor overnight.
Almost 200,000 boat trips were taken on Halong Bay in the first 10 months of last year, according to official data.
On May 20, another tour boat sank in the Saigon River, killing 16 people, including four Chinese.
The boat left the port on the Saigon River at around 7 p.m., but 15 minutes later it started raining heavily, so some passengers urged the crew to return. The boat, which can carry more than 50 passengers, was about 100 meters from the bank when it capsized and sank.
Five passengers and seven crew members managed to swim to safety, while others drowned.
Rescuers found 15 bodies in the early morning of the next day. Later that day they salvaged the boat, but the body of a nine-year-old boy – the last victim – was founded several days later.
All the passengers were attending the birthday party of a three-year-old boy when the accident happened. The boy, who was the son of a Chinese man and a Vietnamese wife, drowned together with his mother and sister.
Investigations showed that strong winds accompanying a heavy rain had capsized the boat, which was designed improperly with an imbalance in the parts that remain below and above the water.
Experts also blamed the crew for closing all the windows on the fatal night, increasing the boat’s risk of capsizing in strong winds.
According to police, the double-decker captain’s license showed that he was qualified to pilot boats of second and third classes only, while the fatal boat was categorized as the first class. The boat’s registration certificate was found expiring in February as well.
Worse still--the port managed by Din Ky Tourism Area, the owner of the sunken ship, was unlicensed.
After the two disasters, the authorities have tightened control over the quality and operation of tour ships in the country. An inspection campaign of tour boats was launched.
Alarming quality of tour boats
Senior marine engineers tell VietNamNet that competent agencies need to carefully examine the quality of tour ships. The current six-month check policy is not enough. They also doubt the inspection results.
They say that most of tour boats do not maintain their initial designs. Ship owners put on boats some devices that change the tonnage and center of gravity of boats, which affect the safety of tour boats.
Ha The Tien, director of the Ha Long city-based Marine Technique and Service JS Company, says that the reasons that caused recent tour boat accidents including abnormal weather, poor qualification of the crew and technically unsafe.
Tien says that the last reason is very important. If it is not timely solved, similar accidents would happen in the near future.
He says the two major criteria for boats in general is the stability against upturning and sinking. However, most tour boats in Ha Long Bay do not meet the criteria.
Colonel Do Van Luc, deputy director of Quang Ninh province’s Police Agency, says that operators of tour boats in Ha Long Bay are under great pressure.
They have to ensure that their boats satisfy technical standards of the vehicle registration agency and standards of the tourism body for equipment, services, etc.
To meet the tourism body’s requirements, tour boat operators have to change boat designs which affect the quality and safety of tour boats.
Senior lieutenant colonel Nguyen Tuan Loi, head of Quang Ninh province’s Anti-fire Police Department, said that overnight tour boats are a new and unique form of tour services in Quang Ninh. At present, there is no regulation on managing this type of boats.
Quang Ninh authorities have checked and upgrade its team of tour boats to avoid accidents.
Hoang Sang
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