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QUANG NINH, 16 March 2011- Tourist boats that offer overnight stays on Ha Long Bay have been told to raise quality and upgrade standard including on-boat security it was reported Monday.
The inspection carried out by the province was a response to a 17 February disaster, when one of the cruise boats sank during the night while at anchor in the bay killing 12 foreign tourists. The boat took on water in its hull and sank in seconds as tourists slept in their cabins. The captain, some crew members and 15 tourists survived. The captain was immediately arrested and charged with reckless behaviour.
According to the Quang Ninh’s authorities a subsequent inspection of the boats used by tour operators for overnight stays concluded 37 vessels had poor water partitions in hulls that are designed to prevent flooding, while 41 had inadequate fire fighting and pump equipment.
All of the vessels, however, met regulations on staff and crew qualifications and had necessary permits allowing them to offer over-night stays.
The authorities inspected 135 of 151 tourist boats. The remaining 16 boats will be inspected later when they are due for a periodic technical check-up.
Presently, there are 475 standard tourist boats with a seating capacity of 18,600 of, which 151 are overnight-sleeper boats with 1,200 cabins.
Last year, Quang Ninh province welcomed 5.4 million tourists and 2.7 million travelled to Ha Long Bay. The records show 140,000 boat trips were made on the iconic bay famed for its limestone karsts with 300,000 tourists staying overnight on cruise boats, mostly converted wooden junks.
Ha Long bay is located 170 km east of the country’s capital Hanoi in Quang Ninh province and is possibly the most popular sightseeing destination in the northern provinces.
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