Police have charged the captain of the ill-fated vessel that capsized near Port Royal and resulted in the death of 2 women, on Thursday.

He is 57-year-old Hurbert Dowie of Michelin Avenue, Kingston.

Dowie has been charged with operating an unlicensed vessel.

He is scheduled to appear in the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish court on Monday, January 21 next year.

The two women who drowned in the incident have been identified as 35-year-old, Janelle Decasseres of Summit Heights, Kingston 8, and 45-year-old, Edith Petscha of Evergreen Drive in Hatfield, Manchester.

Reports are that about 8:40 a.m., on December 27, the two women were among a group of twelve persons who were being transported to Lime Cay when the vessel encountered difficulties.

The captain was unable to rectify the issue and the vessel capsized.

The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Coast Guard and the Marine Police rescued the individuals, who were taken to hospital, where the two women were pronounced dead.

The investigation continues.