Rassada Pier, which located on the east side of Phuket Town, is a major departure point for tourists heading out to the popular islands in Phang Nga Bay and along the Andaman coast.
Leading the inspections was former Phuket Marine Office Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut, who was recently promoted to head of the Marine Department’s Region 5 office, which is based in Phuket but also responsible for the Andaman provinces of Ranong, Phang Nga, Krabi, Trang and Satun.
“I ordered the officers responsible for the operation of all 13 commercial piers in Phuket to seriously enforce safety in their areas of responsibility. The safety of tourists during the New Year is a priority,” Mr Phuripat said.
“Especially as I believe that more than 3,000 tourists will use water-taxi services during the New Year holidays,” he added.
Mr Phuripat said that this year self-enforcement of safety regulations was much better than in years past.
“During our inspections we found that lots of tour operators and companies are respecting the regulations preventing overloading, which is better than last year. I appreciate this very much,” he said.