The Marine Department won’t renew the registration or license of any boat found not to have standardized life jackets, but not until next year.
Regional Marine Department Director Eakarak Kantaro said at a June 29 meeting with boat operators at Bali Hai Pier that Pattaya is still trying to regain the trust of boat passengers in order to boost tourism. Part of that mission has been getting boat operators to stock life jackets and make their passengers use them.
Now the Marine Department says it has been researching the best life jacket to use, but won’t announce its decision until next year. This comes after two years of the marine officials threatening boat operators with little or no enforcement of their dictates.
The standard jackets must have a department certification label, name of manufacturer, product number and production year. They must have lift of no less than 10 kilograms, include a whistle and reflective highlights of no smaller than 100 sq. centimeters. Moreover, their color must be either orange or orange-red.
The department has listed six qualified distributors and if boat operators are found using non-standard life jackets their operating license and registration will not be renewed, Eakarak said.
