He said stern action should be taken against those who violated existing regulations to ensure the safety of passengers.
“We have rules and regulations but (not strict enough) on the enforcement part.
“For example, we can’t allow overloading (of boats and ferries). Once overloaded, (unexpected) things may happen and compromise safety,” he told reporters after attending a Chinese New Year celebration at Taman Husain Flats here today.
He was commenting on the catamaran carrying three crew and 28 tourists from China which capsized due to strong winds and huge waves while travelling to Pulau Mengalum, 56km northwest of Kota Kinabalu.
So far, 25 victims have been accounted for, including three who died, while six people are still missing.
Liow said his ministry would work together with the Sabah government to find effective measures to avoid a recurrence of such incidents.
He also said passenger boats and ferries should be equipped with the global positioning system (GPS) to facilitate the search-and-rescue operation should there be any untoward incident.
“I’m very sad over the incident as Sabah is being promoted as an important tourist destination. This boat tragedy could have been avoided,” said Liow.
The Marine Department of Malaysia, in collaboration with the Sabah Ports and Harbour Department, has set up a special task force to investigate the incident.
Marine Department director-general Baharin Abdul Hamid said the investigation would cover various aspects, including technical issues.
“We will look at all aspects, including security and communications equipment provided by the operator.
He said the findings would be analysed before being presented to the transport ministry.
“From the investigation, we will give recommendations to the ministry to improve the safety aspects of water transport, mainly involving passenger boats.
“In addition, we will also examine the need to make it compulsory for passenger boats to install tracking devices to prevent such incidents from recurring.”
Commenting on the insurance protection for the victims, Baharin said the police were still investigating the matter.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) has urged the Marine Department to be more proactive in preventing tour boat tragedies.
Matta vice-president (inbound) Tan Kok Liang said the association wanted action to be taken to prevent tour boat tragedies, with enforcement carried out round the clock. It wanted the regulations to be clearly displayed.
“The Marine Department is the main agency supervising boat activities.
“Tour boats should only be licensed when fitted with safety, emergency and communications equipment.”
Tan said the department should also conduct sweeps on illegal jetties.