Passengers get to the HCM City centre by Thu Thiem Ferry.

VietNamNet Bridge - The city’s Waterway Authority is stepping up its supervision of ferry terminals with the aim to prevent accidents, according to officials.

Four times a month, five teams of inspectors make random, unannounced visits to ferry terminals to check the safety conditions of ferries, Le Hoang Minh, head of the Waterway Authority, was quoted as saying by the Labourer Newspaper on Monday.

The inspections are being carried out to raise awareness of traffic safety regulations among ferry owners, boatmen and passengers.

Minh has urged the public to refuse to travel on substandard ferries and to inform the Waterway Authority of unsafe ferries by calling 3 836 8196.

Passengers can also call transport inspection team No. 2 under the city’s Department of Transport at 3 950 0809.

Dang Van Hien, head of the transport inspection team No. 2, said the team had been checking all ferries, but particularly those at ferry stations named Ben Da in District 8, An Loi Dong in District 2, Binh My in Cu Chi District and Phuoc Khanh in Nha Be District.

The team works with water traffic police and port authorities, who hand out fines to violators of waterway transport safety regulations.

HCM City has 41 licensed ferry terminals, but local waterway traffic regulations do not require passengers to wear lifejackets.

To protect passengers, the Waterway Authority since 2006 has allocated lifejackets to boat owners and has urged passengers to wear lifejackets.

In 2006, the Waterway Authority also organised a contest at 10 ferry stations to promote the use of lifejackets.

VietNamNet/VNS