Vietnam tightens water tourism safety standards

The small cruise ship Thao Van 2 capsized in the Han River shortly after its departure on the night of June 4, resulting in the death of three passengers by drowning.

Originally a fishing boat, the vessel was carrying twice its capacity of 28 at the time of the incident.

Facing the real risk that local tourism will be heavily impacted, authorities in Danang as well as in several other locations have been raising the standard of this type of transportation.

Re-modified fishing boats are banned

In the south-central province of Ninh Thuan, border guard officers have been conducting regular inspections on tourist boats taking passengers to a local island and other coastal destinations.

According to Colonel Nguyen Van Dang, deputy chief of the provincial border guard office, most passenger ships in the area have been upgraded from fishing boats.

Following the cruise ship overturn in Danang, the Ninh Thuan People’s Committee has ordered local border guards and relevant agencies to tighten inspections on the safety standard of the vessels, pursuant to the prime minister’s direction, Col. Dang said.

“Only those ships with proper registration and standards that meet all necessary requirements in terms of safety will be allowed to operate,” the officer stated.

Meanwhile, the Danang People’s Committee has announced that ships that meet all the standards and safety requirements set by authorities will be able to provide tours for visitors, resulting in many operators waiting anxiously for their inspection results during the shutdown of operations.

Waterway tourism has been affected by the incident, one tourist ship captain said, adding that many travelers had canceled their sightseeing tours along the Han River.

Building new ships, tightening safety standards

Phan Van Anh Vu, chairman of a firm in Danang, has proposed building or importing 20 tourist boats, at a cost of between VND3 billion (US$134,400) and VND5 billion (US$224,000), to replace the re-modified fishing ships, and help restore local waterway tourism.

Nearly 100,000 tourists have used waterway transport services in Danang during the first six months of this year, Vu stated, adding that shutting down the activities of the upgraded fishing boats would cause huge potential losses to local tourism.

It is necessary to invest in new, modern ships to continue previous operations and exploit new routes and destinations in the future, he added.

According to Huynh Duc Tho, chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, it would be difficult for local operators to afford the ships due to their cost.

Tho proposed that the expenses be funded by the private sector, adding that authorities would provide favorable policies for investors.

In the south-central province of Khanh Hoa, authorities are scheduled to conduct a thorough inspection on local passenger boats and deal with any deemed substandard, said Nguyen Xuan Manh, deputy chief inspector from the provincial Department of Transport.

“We have ordered all ships to remove any structure not included in their registration and carefully checked the captains’ licenses and other safety equipment. Passengers aboard must always be outfitted with life jackets,” Manh asserted.