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Dubai: Dhow cruise operations in the Creek were stopped with immediate effect on Sunday following concerns raised about their safety.
The Dubai Ports Authority (DPA) issued the notice to all dhow cruise operators following a Gulf News report which pointed to the absence of regular monitoring of cruise dhows by any single authority. Safety concerns were raised after a cruise boat in Bahrain capsized and killed 58 people on Thursday.
An emergency meeting of all the departments involved in cruise operations will be held on Monday to decide the future of the dhow cruise industry in Dubai, officials told Gulf News on Sunday. The meeting will review the current standards of safety and may come up with some new rules to strengthen security and safety procedures.
Dhow cruise operators were surprised at the sudden halt to their operations.
"We have received notice to stop our operation immediately," confirmed Russ North, owner of Creek Leisure Cruises, one of the first companies to have launched dhow cruises about 17 years ago in Dubai Creek.
He said they had already been booked for last night and would have to suffer a loss. North agreed that some cruise operators do not follow proper safety measures.
"Overloading and absence of safety equipment is common on some dhows that need to be checked immediately to avoid any untoward incident," he said. He said that smoking shisha and live barbecue on a wooden boat are dangerous. "The industry needs some clear guidelines," he said. According to cruise operators, there are at least six departments including the Dubai Ports Authority (DPA), the Municipality, the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, the Civil Defence, Ministry of Communication and Dubai Police all monitoring dhow cruise operations. "We need to have one body to monitor and with whom we can directly deal instead of going to different departments," said Avtar Singh, Cruise and Administration Manager of Lama Tours and Cruises.
He said the cruise operators also held a meeting yesterday asking to make the procedures for dhow cruises simpler with clear guidelines. "We were asked to stop our operation but were allowed to serve dinner at a docked boat," he said. Iftikhar Alam from Royal Tours said that most of the cruise operators followed the set safety procedures.
"We are waiting for the results of the DPA meeting today because dhow cruise is an integral part of Dubai's tourism industry," he said. At least 15 dhows operate on Dubai Creek offering cruise trips to passengers especially tourists. Dhow cruise operators in Dubai believe the Bahrain tragedy is unlikely to have any negative impact on cruise tourism in Dubai.
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