Maj Nattaphong Pleungtaratigul, Investigator of Phuket Marine Police, confirmed the accident occurred at 5:30pm.
“It was low tide and Teerachai Maimaad, the captain Golden Dragon Tour 1 speedboat, increased speed to get the boat plane towards shore,” Maj Nattaphong told The Phuket News.
Capt Teerachai told police that the fast speed caused the hydraulic rudder to fail and that he could not control the boat, said Maj Nattaphong.
“So the boat flew up onto the speedboat K. Kanreab, which was at anchor waiting for the tide to rise in order to safely return to Boat Lagoon,” he explained.
“There were 20 Chinese tourists on the Golden Dragon Tour 1. None of them suffered any injuries and they were all transferred to another boat and brought safely to shore,” Maj Nattaphong said.
“Luckily, no one was on board the K. Kanreab at the time,” he added.
The captains of both boats hold the correct licenses, Maj Nattaphong noted, adding that Capt Teerachai has been charged only with damaging other people’s property.
“The damage has been valued at B1 million, and the owner of the Golden Dragon Tour 1 will take responsibility for this compensation,” he said.