KOCHI: The tourist boat that capsized in Poorapuzha off Thooval Theeram Beach on Sunday night had passed the stability test and overcrowding caused the accident, said the state government and the Kerala Maritime Board.
The boat had a maximum capacity to carry 22 persons and there was no permission to carry people on the upper deck. However, the operators allowed 37 passengers to board the vessel which led to the accident, said Kerala Maritime Board CEO T P Salimkumar.
According to the port department, though tourist boat Atlantic did not obtain prior permission for vessel building, it was granted a survey certificate after the Department of ship technology at Cusat, the accredited agency, conducted a stability test. As per the guidelines, the vessel should not sway more than 7 degrees even if all the occupants gather at one side of the boat. When the stability test was conducted the maximum sway was 6.4 degrees. The survey certificate was granted based on this report, said an officer at the office of the Ports Minister.
As per the Inland Vesels Act, an application shall be submitted to the Chief Surveyor with the recommendation of a naval architect for permission to construct a new vessel. The panel will check the drawings and grant permission. Once the vessel is built, the owners have to submit an application to the chief surveyor for a final survey. The survey certificate will be granted after inspection and ensuring the availability of safety equipment. After ensuring stability the registering authority will grant registration. In the case of Atlantic, the registration procedure was not completed.
The Inland Vessels Act allows conducting surveys and stability tests for vessels that are built without prior permission by collecting a fine of Rs 10,000. Atlantic was built without prior permission. The owner had submitted an application for registration with Beypore Port Registry on January 12 and the permission for initiating registration was granted on February 28, 2023.
The chief surveyor inspected the vessel on April 12 and granted a certificate, said the officer. “There was no permission to carry passengers on the upper deck. The operator provided a temporary ladder allowing passengers to climb onto the upper deck. The vessel lost stability due to these violations. We can’t blame the agency that granted the certificate as it was overloading that led to the boat capsizing,” said an officer at the Kerala Maritime Board.
According to him, there is no rule that prohibits the modification of a fishing boat into a passenger boat. The vessel was reconstructed to carry passengers and the accredited agency was satisfied with its stability. A team of experts has inspected the boat and a comprehensive report will be submitted to the judicial commission probing the reasons for the capsize.
The officer said no tourist's vessel has been granted permission to operate in inland waters after 6 pm. The ill-fated boat conducted the trip after 7 pm violating the guidelines. The Union government is revising the Indian Inland Vessels Act and 94 new guidelines will be introduced to streamline the operations of tourist vessels.
37 passengers were allowed to board the vessel which had a maximum capacity to carry 22 persons. Violating norms, the operator provided a ladder to passengers allowing them to climb on the upper deck. The vessel lost stability owing to this