Al Dana hyped as cruise ship
by mahmood on 05/04/06 at 8:10 am
THE ill-fated Al Dana dhow was being advertised nearly a month ago for family cruises, for up to 200 people at a time.
Owner Abdulla Al Qobaisi was quoted in an Arabic magazine in the run up to the dhow’s launch on March 9, describing the vessel as meeting international standards.
Coastguard officials have since revealed that the Al Dana was not licensed to sail and did not meet any of the regulations required to get that licence. It was registered only as a floating restaurant and should never have left the jetty, said officials.
The Coastguard said it was unaware that the Al Dana was being used for cruises and would have stopped had they seen it.
The dhow cruises were launched in a ceremony attended by Information Under-Secretary Mahmood Al Mahmood, who was taken for a short cruise.
It was later said by officials that he was unaware that the dhow was not licensed to sail.
Coastguard director Colonel Yousif Al Ghatam had after the disaster, in which 58 people were killed, that Al Dana was licensed only as a first-class floating restaurant, which should never have left the jetty.
“This is not a tour ship, it is a floating first-class restaurant, which is registered to anchor at the jetty,” he said.
But in the interview published by International Motors magazine, Mr Al Qobaisi said the BD200,000 dhow could take up to 200 people and was equipped with all the necessary safety equipment.
He said it would sail short distances “from the shores of the Marina Club in Manama to the shores of Al Hidd area”.
“The boat travels at a very slow speed for the passengers to enjoy the surroundings,” said Mr Al Qobaisi.
He said the three-storey dhow was built in the UAE and was 100ft long, 35ft high, 30ft wide and had an eight-cylinder engine.
Business partner Isa Al Qobaisi told the GDN on the night of the disaster that the dhow had a capacity for only 100 passengers – but there were around 130 on board.
He claimed that when the captain saw how many people were boarding and how much stock was being taken on board for the party, he did not want to put out, but organisers insisted.
Abdulla Al Qobaisi Company for Travel and Tourism chartered the boat out to Island Tours for the event organised by contractor Nass, Murray & Roberts to celebrate the completion of concreting work at the Bahrain World Trade Centre.
GDN Rasha Al-Qahtani :: 5 Apr ‘06
