Koh Larn ferries finally are complying with safety regulations by keeping passenger numbers down and requiring everyone to wear life vests, Pattaya officials said.
City complaint center officials said at Bali Hai Pier Nov. 3 that boat operators now are fully cooperating with regulations aimed at ensuring marine safety after years of giving them only lip service.
The Marine Department recently met with boat and watersports operators to reinforce security measures and disaster prevention. The hot topic was ferries crossing to Koh Larn which for years have been overloaded and several times sank, with passenger casualties.
Complaint center officers said they recently went undercover aboard the S. Prasitporn 4 to Tawaen Beach on the resort island and found that all passengers were wearing life jackets and that the boat was not overloaded.
They maintained that this shows all ferry operators are now taking safety codes serious.
The ferries can carry 230 people but operators have limited passengers to about 200.
