Pleasure boat owner held over Bahrain tragedy

THE owner of a dinner boat that capsized off Bahrain's coast, killing 58 people, was detained yesterday on allegations he ordered the vessel to sail even though it was unsteady and had no licence to take to sea.

Abdullah al-Kobaisi, the owner of the Al-Dana boat, was ordered held for seven days for questioning and could face charges of negligent homicide and misuse of licence, the prosecutor said in a statement.

The Al-Dana - a traditional dhow vessel refitted as a pleasure boat - overturned last Thursday night as it made a sharp turn with around 130 people on board, most from a South African-based company and its partners celebrating construction of Bahrain's World Trade Centre.

The dead included Irishman Derek Cunningham and his wife Orathai, who was born in Thailand.

The ship's captain and his assistant have already been detained.

Prosecutors have said the pair did not have sailing licences and could face charges of negligent homicide as well.

Survivors have said the boat was swaying precariously even before it left the dock in Manama, and that more than a dozen passengers left because of worries over its stability.

The prosecutor said yesterday the captain and the party organiser contacted Mr al-Kobaisi and warned him of the situation, but he ordered the boat to sail.

Mr al-Kobaisi also did not have a licence to use the boat for cruises, the statement said.

He had applied for one but had not yet fulfilled all the requirements.

The coastguard "had not issued him a coastal transport licence, and he organised the ill-fated cruise without licence," the statement said.

The 80ft-long traditional sailing vessel, which had been converted into a restaurant, was first registered in Qatar and arrived in Bahrain last December.

According to Bahraini officials, its owner, who runs a family business, then registered it to be in Bahrain.

It was surveyed and he was given a list of requirements the vessel had to meet before it could be given a safety certificate for carrying passengers.

But the process was not completed and the boat went to sea without having been given the all-clear, according to the Bahraini interior ministry.

It had only been operating pleasure cruises for less than a month.