Bangkok, 18 November, 2018 – The salvage team on late Saturday afternoon was able to retrieve the wreckage of the sunken Phoenix tour boat which had been lying in 45 metres of water, 3.7 kilometres off Ko Hae near Phuket since 5 July when it capsized in a storm.
A one-minute silence was observed in remembrance of all people who lost their lives in the tragic event. The boat will be moved to a dock on Monday for inspection.
(below photo) H.E. Weerasak Kowsurat, Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports (3rd from right), and Mr. Li Chunlin, Counsellor and Consul-General of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand (2nd from left), received an official report during today’s visit to the site of the recovered vessel. Their trip was joined by officials from the related Thai government agencies as well as members of the media.
After the tragic incident, Thai authorities as well as Phuket’s public and private stakeholders have been taking steps to improve tour boat safety to enhance the standard of marine tourism in the country and to assure confidence among tourists that the necessary measures are moving forward.
*Photo credit: Government Public Relations Department – Phuket Office
