After an inspection at Lac Hong 01 restaurant boat yesterday, central Phu Yen Province Transport Department decided to suspend the boat as it fails to meet safety regulations.
Lac Hong 01 restaurant boat on the Chua River in Tuy Hoa City, Phu Yen Province Photo: Tuoi Tre
The department’s inspectors discovered that the boat’s pilot did not meet qualification requirements and that the vehicle lacked safety devices including lifebuoys, said Vo Ngoc Khoa, deputy director of the department.
The boat, which is 19 meters long and can carry 70 passengers, was put into operation on February 2, 2011.
It has been used as a restaurant boat on the bank of the Chua River, a tributary of the Da Rang River.
In addition, the quay where the boat operates does not ensure safety.
Lac Hong 01 is the only restaurant boat in the province, Khoa said.
Safety conditions for restaurant boats have recent been paid more attention after the deadly boat sinking that occurred on the Saigon River in southern Binh Duong Province last month.
The accident happened on May 20 when the boat was capsized and sank in a bad weather, killing 16 people, including several children.
After the boat was lifted up from the river, many experts have examined it and concluded that the boat was unsafe.
Chau Hoan Tam, the owner of Din Ky Restaurant Private Enterprise, which operates the boat, later admitted to three wrongdoings: operating the tour-boat quay without a license, failing to register the boat afresh after its registration had expired, and the use of an unlicensed pilot.
On May 24, Deputy Minister of Transport Le Manh Hung ordered its units nationwide to conduct inspections of all passenger and restaurant boats.