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Hong Kong Ferry Disaster : Why National Day fireworks weren’t cancelled sparks debate

Posted in Exterior, News Events, Photographs, Updates, tagged , , , , , , , on October 15, 2012| Leave a Comment »


Recap :

A boat owned by Hongkong Electric carrying more than 100 staff workers and their family members collided with a ferry in waters off Lamma Island at about 8.23pm on October 1, 2012. More than 100 passengers on the boat fell into the water,  and at least 39 are confirmed dead. This is the deadliest boat accident in Hong Kong in 40 years. The Fireworks were scheduled to start at 9.00pm.

The decision to go ahead with the National Day fireworks display 30 minutes after the ferry collision has caused much debate online.

Some argued the government was trying not to spoil the happy mood of the holiday, while others thought the administration was trying to cover up the accident.

Some said the display had to take place because more than 300,000 people had gathered around the harbour, waiting for the show, and cancelling it could have created a problem.

The Marine Department said there were 150 vessels in the harbour waiting for the fireworks.

The debate also extended to whether the city should stage fireworks displays at future National Days, which they said should become a day to mourn the victims of the tragedy.

Other online forum commentators asked why the nightly Symphony of Lights show was not cancelled immediately and why a day of mourning was not called immediately after the collision.

A spokesman for the Home Affairs Bureau, which co-ordinates the fireworks display, defended the decision to go ahead. He said the crash happened less than an hour before the fireworks show started at 9pm. It took time to receive details about the crash.

He said that if the show was to have been cancelled, the department would have needed to make an announcement to the city, especially with hundreds of thousands of people gathering on the harbour. A cancellation might have made it difficult to disperse the crowds safely.

Faced with the question on Tuesday, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said it should be referred to the “show’s organiser”.

The fireworks sponsor was the Association of the Hong Kong Members of Guangdong’s Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Committees

Arctile from SCMP here

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Hong Kong Ferry Disaster: Report warned 15 yrs ago of danger at the location of ferry disaster

Posted in Exterior, News Events, Photographs, Updates, tagged , , , , , on October 11, 2012| Leave a Comment »


This from SCMP.

Location of tragedy highlighted as potential flashpoint by marine officials

Sunday, 07 October, 2012, 12:00am

Admiralty Chart of the Area

Report warns of increased danger due to bigger, faster ferries.

A report 15 years ago warned of potential dangers at the location of Monday’s ferry disaster, it was revealed last night.

Approximate Location of the Sea Smooth – Lamma IV Collision

The survey came to light as another unpublished report, completed before the Lamma tragedy, predicted more people would be injured or killed in Hong Kong waters as passenger-carrying vessels get bigger and faster.

The reports emerged at a time when the number of passenger-carrying vessels is expected to increase further when the Kai Tak cruise terminal comes into operation next year.

The 1997 report found that while there were “very few incidents” in and around the East and West Lamma channels, the area was home to “local situations that warrant attention”.

It continued: “These include returning pleasure craft [vessels that carry up to 60 people] from either Lamma or Lantau Islands to Aberdeen Harbour tending to bunch just before sunset which may pose additional risk to vessels navigating the East Lamma Channel.”

The recent unpublished report was by Yip Tsz-leung, associate director and co-founder of the CY Tung International Centre for Maritime Studies.

He said the trend for faster, bigger ferries meant that when an accident does happen, the force of the collision is stronger, causing more injuries and possibly death. He said: “There are fewer cargo ships in the harbour.

“On the other hand, we have more passenger ships which are more frequent, bigger and faster.

“More people may pass away as the impact of an accident will be very huge.”

Yip said that accidents in the waters around Hong Kong – the second busiest port in terms of ship arrivals – had halved in the last 20 years ago and were on a consistent downward trend.

He said that because there were fewer accidents, people had become complacent and were less vigilant about safety measures, such as knowing where lifejackets were located.

A Marine Department spokeswoman said there was no “clear, upward trend” of more injuries or deaths in port traffic accidents. Since 2000, the average number of collisions per year was 195 and “barring a few more serious cases resulting in casualties, most of the collisions recorded were minor contacts”.

The last time marine officials conducted a comprehensive study of traffic risk in Hong Kong waters was in 2004, when it commissioned a HK$2.5 million report that forecast a five per cent increase in incidents by last year.

The Marine Department said last night in a written reply: “The 1997 report was based on the planning framework at that time, including the Lantau Port, West Lamma Channel and Lamma Breakwater, which have not materialised after the report was completed.

“So it is not appropriate to comment on the information in the 1997 report which might have been overtaken by events.”

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Hong Kong Ferry Disaster : Safety breaches on Lamma IV may hit insurance claims

Posted in Exterior, News Events, Photographs, Updates, tagged , , , , , , on October 11, 2012| Leave a Comment »


This from the SCMP.

Failure to comply with guidelines could affect compensation.

Olga Wong, Ada Lee  and  Thomas Chan

082c52924daeb0b3611488e135d020b0.jpg

Fireman and police inspect the Lamma IV yesterday. Hongkong Electric and the vessel failed to keep a passenger list and did not ensure children wore life vests. Photo: David Wong

Hongkong Electric and the sunken vessel it owned breached maritime safety guidelines by failing to keep a passenger list and not ensuring that children were wearing life jackets.

While the breaches may not result in any legal action, it may affect passengers’ chances of claiming insurance.

The Marine Department’s guidelines, formulated for vessels viewing the fireworks display, required coxswains and owners of all vessels to take four measures before the start of the voyage: inform all people on board of the location of the lifesaving equipment and the proper way to don a life jacket; require all children to wear a life jacket at all times; keep a passenger list containing their names; and adhere to the carrying capacity specified in the operating licence.

They won’t compensate for something that could have been under control

“If people had followed the guidelines, [Monday’s] incident would not have been that disastrous,” marine director Francis Liu Hon-por conceded in a radio programme yesterday.

The collision of a public ferry and a motor launch, which was taking Hongkong Electric staff, family and friends to watch the fireworks on National Day, left 38 dead, including five children.

Many of the children wore no life jackets and, as of yesterday, Hongkong Electric had failed to release a full list of passengers.

Two days after the accident, a Hongkong Electric spokeswoman said the company only had a registration list, not a list of those finally on board. She said yesterday that the company had information on 127 passengers involved in the accident, three more than its first announcement of 124 passengers. But the government figure shows a total of 131 people dead or injured.

Liu said the guidelines had been in place for years and were not legally binding.

Paul Law Siu-hung, the president of the International Professional Insurance Consulting Association, said failing to comply with the guidelines could affect the chances, and the amount, of compensation, that a vessel owner could claim from the insurance firm. “Insurance companies will investigate if the owner and captain have done their best to ensure the safety of passengers and to minimise the possible damage,” he said. “They won’t compensate for something that could have been under control.”

He said the responsibility of compensation would shift to Hongkong Electric if the accident was not insured. “The amount would be astronomical, given the numerous deaths and the long recovery process of survivors, who suffered physically and mentally,” Law said.

But Hermine Kay, marketing manager for boat rental company Hong Kong Catamaran Club, said it would be “impossible” for boat companies to obtain a full list of passengers from their customers if it was not required by law, as some people had privacy concerns.

Kay said the company, which rented out two boats for fireworks displays on Monday night, would have informed passengers where the life jackets were stored, but it would have been difficult to force people to wear them.

Li Chi-wai, chairman of the Hong Kong Seamen’s Union, said the guidelines would “mean nothing” if there were no consequences.

Liu said the government could consider turning the guidelines into law if the investigation report recommended it.

Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry said it had bought insurance with US$500 million coverage for one incident, more than the stipulated requirement of HK$5 million.

The police said the bodies of the 38 dead at the Kwai Chung Public Mortuary had been identified by their families yesterday, but the force declined to estimate how many were still missing.

Ryan Tsui, whose brother died, said the police refused to give out any information about the deceased, forcing his family to rush to each hospital to confirm the death. His niece, 10, who celebrated her birthday on board, is in critical condition.

LIST OF THE DEAD (PRELIMINARY)

Chan Wing-kei, 56, Hui Ka-wai, 24,

Wong Wai-ngor, 56, Tsui Chi-wai, 42,

Yan Tsz-ki, 8, Cheng Yin-lan, 40, (mother of Yan Tsz-ki), Cheng Sin-kam, 64,

Chan Hau-luen, 55, Nicholas Chi-ho Belshaw, 7,

Wendy Ie Hwie, 44, (mother of Nicholas Belshaw),

Wong Pui-lan, 63, Thomas Koo Man-cheung, 24,

Pieta Leung Ka-kit, 23

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Hong Kong Ferry Disaster – News Reports; Human Errors ?

Posted in Exterior, News Events, Photographs, Updates, tagged , , , , , , , , , on October 7, 2012| Leave a Comment »


News extracts from Newsday articles

Outrage over human errors in Hong Kong boat crash

Lamma IV

When two boats filled with people collided on Hong Kong’s busy waterways, the impact knocked a hole in one vessel’s engine room and the water poured in too fast to stop the boat from sinking. Passengers struggled to find life vests and dozens drowned in the turbulent waters.

Rather than rush to help, however, the crew of the other vessel, a ferry, seemed paralyzed, according to witnesses. After pausing briefly near the doomed ship filled with holiday revelers, the ferry continued on to its berth. Shock over Monday’s crash, which left 39 dead, gave way to outrage Wednesday over what experts concluded was human error. Investigators have not publicly offered a theory of how the collision occurred but have arrested seven crew members, including both captains. The ferry company denied accusations that the boat left immediately after the crash, but did not say whether its crew did anything to help the other vessel as it rapidly sank.

The collision, Hong Kong’s deadliest maritime accident since 1971, has hit at the heart of the semiautonomous territory’s identity. Fleets of ferry boats form the backbone of the transport network, and much of Hong Kong’s economy relies on its reputation as a well-managed shipping hub. “We cannot help but be shocked and angry,” the English-language South China Morning Post said in an editorial. It said “pinpointing fault and ensuring that there is no repeat” would be a matter of “safety, reputation and financial well-being.”

All 39 people killed had been on the Lamma IV, owned by utility company Hong Kong Electric, which was taking about 120 of its workers and their families to watch fireworks in celebration of China’s National Day and mid-autumn festival. Survivors from both boats said that after the collision knocked people from their seats, there was chaos as people rushed to find life jackets. About 100 people on both vessels, but mostly from the Lamma IV, were taken to hospitals for injuries.

Capt. Tony Yeung Pui-keung, manager of the Maritime Services Training Institute in Hong Kong, said the large number of fatalities was due to Lamma IV’s rapid partial sinking, which occurred in minutes after the engine room was breached and flooded. “I think it was all of the sudden and I think no (one) can make a response in two minutes,” Yeung said. “So I think it’s difficult. Except for Superman, no people can escape so easily.”

Ferry passenger Chris Head said he was thrown off his feet on the open upper rear deck. He said the collision felt like “walking into a lamppost.” “Then someone else on the boat pointed out a dark shape moving away from us and said, ‘I think we just hit a boat,'” said Head, a teacher who has lived on nearby Lamma island for 18 years. The other boat was already listing, and aside from two tiny lights it “just was not lit at all. We couldn’t see anyone on it,” Head said. He said he couldn’t be sure that the lights had been off before the crash. After Head and the other passengers put on their life jackets, he saw that the other boat had started to “go into a sort of Titanic pose vertically.” Head said the ferry itself was listing slightly and taking on water. He said the captain kept the ferry in the area for five to 10 minutes before leaving. But he added, “I’m not saying that he was making any effort to rescue. I don’t know about that.”

Capt. Yeung, who is not involved in the investigation, said standard maritime protocol requires ships to stay with other damaged boats and help if they can, even if only to call for help. He said the Sea Smooth’s captain might not have been aware of this duty or may have panicked, worried about his own passengers. “I will leave it to the judge to decide whether the captain is guilty or not, but I personally cannot accept (that he left the scene),” he said.

Good Visibility on Night of Accident

Yeung said it was too early to know what caused the accident but that weather didn’t seem to be a factor on the relatively clear and calm night. He said the lights of the skyline and other ships might have obscured the navigation lights on one or both of the ships that crashed, but that the biggest factors appeared to be “careless mistakes” by both crews.

Three crew members from the Lamma IV and four from the Sea Smooth were arrested; all have been released on bail except the hospitalized Sea Smooth captain. Police Commissioner Tsang Wai-hung said both crews are suspected of having not “exercised the care required of them by law,” but he did not elaborate. Yeung said he suspects the ferry captain may not have been paying enough attention. “If people run on the same route every day, several times a day, they become overconfident. They become very slack,” he said.

At the same time, he said the Lamma IV’s captain might have been moving too fast to secure a good position for the fireworks show. Hong Kong Electric spokeswoman Elaine Wong declined to release any information about the Lamma IV’s captain. A woman who escaped the Lamma IV with her husband and their two children told the South China Morning Post they barely had time to get into life vests before water rushed into the boat.

Renee, whose surname was not given, said her husband, Fong Hang-keung, found an exit and pulled her, their 7-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter out into the sea. The four were rescued in about 10 minutes. Ng, the ferry official, said the Sea Smooth had no problems when it passed a government-required inspection last month. Echoing promises from the power company Tuesday, he said the ferry company “will absolutely chase the reasons behind the incident.”

Ng bristled at the claim, made by the power company that the ferry left the scene immediately.”I think, at this stage, to say that we left without a backward glance, there is a little problem with that,” Ng said. But he added that because he still hadn’t spoken with the ferry captain, he did not know exactly how the crew responded.

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Ferry disaster inquiry to focus on ‘lapses’ by both skippers

Posted in Exterior, News Events, Photographs, Updates, tagged , , , , , , , on October 7, 2012| Leave a Comment »


This article coutesy of the Hong Kong SCMP.

Collision claims its 39th fatality as initial investigation finds that the two captains failed to post a lookout as catastrophe loomed.

Rescuers check the Lamma IV.

The death toll in the National Day ferry disaster last night rose to 39 when one of its youngest victims died of her injuries, four days after the two passenger vessels collided off Lamma Island.

After the government raised the death toll by one, a source at Pamela Youde Nethersole Hospital said nine-year-old Tsui Hoi-ying had died of multiple organ failure at 8.53pm. She is the eighth child to have died in the disaster, in which her father, Tsui Chi-wai, 42, also died. Her mother is still being treated in hospital.

The announcement of her death came shortly before rescuers announced, at 10.40pm, that they had called off their search for any more victims or survivors.

The government said police investigations had accounted for all people on board the Lamma IV launch and the Sea Smooth ferry at the time of Monday’s collision, and that they would now be speaking to witnesses.

A government source with knowledge of the investigation into the accident suggested that lapses by both skippers contributed to the collision.

Both captains had apparently failed to keep a proper lookout and took insufficient action to avoid a collision that led to the city’s deadliest maritime disaster in four decades, according to the source, who added that each captain should have been able to see the other’s vessel approaching.

“They should have seen each other because they were running on a reciprocal [head-on] course,” the source said. “From the extent of the damage, [it seems] the two boats were travelling at speed. Both parties apparently failed to take sufficient action to avoid the collision.”

More than 100 police officers are now focusing on criminal liability. The Marine Department will concentrate mainly on the cause of the collision.

Investigations thus far have shown that the two vessels were travelling at their normal operating speeds – 13 to 14 knots for the Lamma IV and more than 20 knots for the Sea Smooth – at the time of impact. The source said this suggested the captains had “failed to slow down or did not have time to reduce the speed of their vessels”.

Police have taken initial statements from 80 survivors who were taken to hospitals. They aim to approach as many passengers as possible, except children, to take detailed statements. Accounts of the collision will also be sought from some of the 1,000 disciplined services officers who took part in the rescue.

Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry, operator of the Sea Smooth, and Hongkong Electric both said they would not comment on anything related to the investigation at this stage.

The 24-metre Lamma IV, carrying 124 passengers and three crew, had a nine-square-metre hole ripped in the left rear of its hull and the damage extended into its engine room.

A maritime specialist who declined to be named said the Lamma IV was unlikely to be repaired and would probably be broken up once the investigation and any criminal proceedings had been completed.

The day after the collision, police arrested seven crew members, including the two skippers, on suspicion of endangering the safety of others at sea. All seven were granted bail.

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Hong Kong Ferry Disaster

Posted in Exterior, News Events, Photographs, Updates, tagged , , , , , , , on October 7, 2012| Leave a Comment »


Article from UK Telgraph

Seven-year-old British boy among Hong Kong ferry victims

A seven-year-old British boy and his mother were among 38 killed in Hong Kong’s
worst maritime disaster in decades, it emerged on Wednesday.

Hong Kong authorities on Wednesday evening released a list of 11 of the people who had been killed in Monday night’s ferry disaster, naming the British victim as Nicholas Chi-ho Belshaw. His mother, Wendy Ie Hwie, 44, also died, according to the list.

Earlier, the Foreign Office confirmed one British national was among those killed when two passenger boats collided on Monday night.

Nicholas and his mother were among 124 people travelling on the Lamma IV boat when it crashed into a passenger ferry called Sea Smooth.

While the damaged Sea Smooth managed to find its way back to port, survivors said the Lamma IV sank within minutes of impact, plunging many of its passengers into the water.

“I could see it going upright and sinking, just like the Titanic,” Chris Head, a teacher who was on the Sea Smooth, told the South China Morning Post.

By the time rescue workers arrived at the scene, it was already too late for some.

The Ship sank in minutes. Some passengers said they had been trapped inside the ship and had to break windows underwater in order to escape.

Fireman Wong Tsz-kiu told the Hong Kong-based newspaper how he battled to rescue an eight-year-old girl.

“I pulled her out of the water unconscious and performed CPR on her hoping to resuscitate her. Then I handed her over to the paramedics in the main boat, and they told me she was gone. Only then did I cry.”

By Wednesday morning, the official death toll had reached 38, including five children. Seven crew members – including the captains of both vessels – have been placed under arrest for “endangering the safety of others at sea”.

The tragedy – described as Hong Kong’s worst maritime disaster since a ferry travelling between Hong Kong and Macau sunk in 1971 killing 88 people – has ignited a mix of grief and anger among Hong Kongers.

Questions have been raised over how such an accident could happen given the modern-technology used by such vessels and why the Sea Smooth did not appear to have stayed on the scene to help victims from the Lamma IV.

Port officials say an investigation could take up to six months and authorities have yet to present the cause of the accident. The director of the company that owns the Sea Smooth ferry, has rejected accusations of a “hit and run”.

On Wednesday night around 1,200 mourners, among them survivors, gathered at Hong Kong’s Catholic cathedral for a remembrance service led by archbishop John Tong.

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Hong Kong Ferry Disaster – Answers ?

Posted in Exterior, News Events, Photographs, Updates, tagged , , , , , on October 5, 2012| Leave a Comment »


Some extracts of articles in the press.

Answers may take months

Extensive damage to the Port Side Aft Quarter

The investigation into the deadly ferry collision will try to find out why the pleasure boat Lamma IV sank so fast, the Director of Marine Francis Liu Hon-por said yesterday. The vessel was towed to Nga Kau Wan on the northern bay of Lamma island. It sustained a 3.04-meter gaping hole on its side and was leaking oil. An oil-proof net was put around its perimeter to contain the spill. Liu said the probe may take six months, after which safety guidelines for commercial pleasure craft could be altered. “Another focus of the investigation is whether any of the crew had breached regulations,” he said, adding that they will check if there were sufficient safety equipment onboard. The department had issued guidelines that children should always wear life jackets on commercial pleasure boats but he admitted this is not part of the law. “There is also an instruction to require commercial pleasure boats to have a crew member and passenger list, but it’s not required by law either,” he said. The Sea Smooth, owned by the Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry, remains docked at the Yung Shue Wan pier. Prakash Metaparti, a master mariner and assistant professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies, said he believes either one or both vessels were going at an “unsafe speed,” causing Lamma IV to sink within a few minutes. He said it is fairly simple to estimate the speed of the vessels and the path they took a few minutes before the collision through the Marine Department’s radar recordings of the entire harbor traffic. He believes Lamma IV sank because it was hit on the side toward the back part of the ship.

Appears to be Large Gash in Hull just astern of Tyre fender

“That’s where you have the engine room, which is usually the biggest compartment in the ship,” he said. “If that got punctured, water would rush in and quickly fill up a big part of the ship. “That would make it tilt back. Usually, if the damage was not significant, the water would seep in somewhat slowly and the ship would sink rather slowly.” In another development, Island District councillors urged the government to tighten its regulations to improve sea traffic.

The members observed a minute of silence before starting the special meeting on the collision. Meanwhile, a consulate spokeswoman disclosed yesterday that a British national was among the 38 people killed in the accident. British Prime Minister David Cameron has sent his condolences to the boat tragedy victims. Foreign and Commonwealth Office minister Hugo Swire said: “I was deeply saddened by news of the tragic ferry accident in Hong Kong. “We enjoy close historical and cultural ties with Hong Kong, which means that the tragedy will be felt keenly in Britain.”

Source : The Standard

CRYING FERRY BOSS DEFENDS CAPTAIN

The ferry company at the center of the Lamma disaster rejected accusations that the ship captain failed to stop and give assistance in wake of the collision. In standing by his captain, Nelson Ng Siu-yuen of Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry Holdings broke down while disclosing the fact that a relative of his wife lost two children in Hong Kong’s worst maritime incident in 40 years. Thirty-eight people died while an as yet unknown number are believed missing in Monday’s collision between the passenger ferry Sea Smooth and the pleasure boat Lamma IV. “We feel deep regret about this sea tragedy,” Ng said.

“We hope all the deceased can rest in peace. “I have promised not to say anything, but now I feel I cannot but tell you that I too have relatives, two children, who passed away.” Ng said he has reported his personal tragedy to the board of directors. But he was staunch in his defense of the ferry captain, taking issue with reports that suggested the Sea Smooth, carrying more than 90 commuters at the time, had irresponsibly sailed away after the collision. “We stopped at the scene and did not leave immediately. It is unfair to blame the company’s ferry, but what actually happened is up to the investigators to determine,” he said. A master mariner and assistant professor of logistics and maritime studies at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Prakash Metaparti, however, said that while it is the usual practice to stay at an accident scene and offer help, “it is not a rigid rule.” He added: “There are several exceptions. One such exception is when a ship master feels that remaining at the scene will endanger his ship, cargo or passengers, so he may choose to leave.

Extensive Damage to Port Bow section

” Metaparti believes that the captain may have “justifiably felt” that his ferry was in danger of sinking or that some of his own passengers would need urgent medical assistance. For his part, Ng said the captain, a 27-year veteran, remains in a state of shock and is receiving counseling at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The captain has yet to give a full account of what happened. “He does not want to talk yet,” Ng said. “He may be blaming himself.” The captain, whose ribs were injured in the crash, had to be assisted when walking, Ng said, stressing the entire crew had not been working overtime that day. “The Sea Smooth had sailed six to seven round trips that day before the accident, but the captain and his crew were working hours that were just like on normal days,” said Ng. Both ship captains and five of their crew members were arrested and must report back to police in the middle of this month.

Source : The Standard

Listing to Port

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Hong Kong Boat Crash: Could it happen in Singapore ?

Posted in Exterior, News Events, Photographs, Updates, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 4, 2012| Leave a Comment »


Not the beach view anyone wants

These are just my own personal ramblings about an incident that has caused a sickening loss of life. My heart goes out to the families and friends of those who perished, as well as the survivors who will doubtless relive those terrifying events in their minds eye for many years to come.

From every marine accident there is an investigation and from every investigation there are conclusions. Such investigations are not tasked with prosecuting the guilty, they are simply to find the facts of what happened and why it happened, so that where required, systems or procedures or equipment can be changed or modified to try to ensure the same thing will not happen again.

The relevant police authorities will make their own enquiries to deal with the facts of suspected liability and guilt. Thereafter the relevant legal jurisdiction will act accordingly on the matter.

But more than that, after an incident like this with such a tragic loss of life, surely in many maritime regions and territories, the relevant persons are asking: Could this happen here ?

That is a question to which I believe there is no “Yes or No” answer, but there are a lot of things to consider.

There is a simple and chilling fact; any accident at sea or elsewhere is analogous to a chemical reaction, if you allow the dangerous mix of ingredients into the same place at the same time then there may well be a violent reaction.

If you can keep them separate, then hopefully nothing happens. In many accidents at sea the ‘ingredients’ are speed, complacency, poor lookout, visibility and navigation, systems failure, and the unexpected.

As to the question; Could it happen in Singapore ? well it could, but in my opinion, it’s very unlikley, and here’s why.

Firstly the relevant Goverment Agency, the Maritime & Port Authority, MPA, has been very active for many years in “managing” the operation of ferry traffic in Singapore. One of the major features of this is that all ferries are required to follow demarcated routes into and out of, and through Singapore waters, and the routes are well defined and well known by near all users. In addition these ferries are required to adhere to set day & night speed limits for the routes in the direct approaches. Consequently if you are at sea in those corridoors at night, then you expect to meet ferry traffic, and at 12 knots you have a bit of time to spot them, and navigate out of their way.

Just One of the Designated Ferry Routes

It’s worthwhile to note that these routes and speed regulations have been in place for around ten years. Also be assured that they have added time and distance onto each and every journey. I can remember some journeys being around 15 minutes quicker. It was also strange to watch as a ferry gets further away from the destination to follow the route.

Secondly the Police Coastguard has a large presence on the water with a large number or active patrol craft throughout Singapore waters. Whilst they have a multitude of roles, they would seem to keep some form of watch of ferry and private and passenger traffic. This is part deterant, and part Big Brother to make sure that maritime rules and laws are followed.

At a location near you ?

Thirdly, major events such as fireworks, or yacht races or waterborne events, etc. likely dont draw the same volume of on-water spectators in Singapore as perhaps as in cities like Hong Kong, Auckland or wherever. Also Fireworks in Singapore are within sheltered or enclosed waterways, and can be easily, and best viewed from onshore. Just look at any National Day, F1, or New Years event video to see what I mean. Obviously Fireworks are at night, which immediately brings navigational and lookout issues.

Victoria Harbour Fireworks

Fourthly and importantly, the MPA many years ago implemented a scheme of ensuring each and every craft on the water has some form of AIS or HARTS, (Harbour Craft Transponder System) on board. This in effect enables the MPA Port Operations to monitor the location and speed and heading of every craft on the water, if in fact they have the time, the interest and manpower to do that. (Note they’ve just upgraded their system to handle 10,000 vessel tracks at any one time ! Click on photo to follow link to read the release.)

WOW just upgraded, they can handle 10,000 vessel tracks at any given time ! Click to follow link !

In addition there is any number of MPA Pilot boats, and MPA launches out and on the water. There is also the system of Cruising permit application process for Non Singapore registered pleasure craft vessels, which requires approval for their route and schedule for any given cruise.

Perhaps lastly there is the issue of geography and layout. Singapore has a defined and ‘regular’ coastline, and a small number of islands with ferry access, with defined routes of access to and from. Reclamation has played a big role and Islands have been dredged, linked, joined, connected and amalgamated for the use by Indutstry, Military and Leisure/Property Development. In some cases bridges and roads have been built for access, negating the use of ferries.

Other than that, and significantly, the regional ferry traffic has to be very much less than in Hong Kong.

A lot of sea room there. Easier to miss than have a collision

Indicative only. Believe accident site was close to NW tip of Lamma Island.

The investigation is underway in Hong Kong, and the families of the perished will be waiting for those conclusions, to answer the question of “How could this happen”, but the likelyhood is that is that this will all come down to those ingredients mentioned above.

If there is however one immediate lesson to be learned from this whole affair so far, it is the conclusion from the photos below.

It’s a bit unfair to make this comparision as I dont know the standards that each vessel was built to, but the immediate reaction is that one sank, and one made it to the dock, presumed to be under it’s own power.

.

The conclusion ? Travel by Catamaran !

Two Hulls = Two Chances !

.

Image Source : BBC, SCMP, ST, online news outlets, etc.

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