History of ferry accidents in Hong Kong's crowded harbour

Spectacular ferry crashes have marred Hong Kong's crowded waterways since the boats first sailed in the early days of the colony.

The most recent was on October 2 last year, when nine passengers were slightly hurt when a catamaran from Zhongshan smashed into a pier.

While the city has thankfully been spared major disasters that have hit other parts of the globe, accidents have often been terrifying for passengers and crew.

A total of 106 people were injured in two separate crashes in Hong Kong waters within an hour on February 17 last year, as thick fog cut visibility to as little as 100 metres. In the worst accident, 104 people were injured, two seriously, when a mainland-bound high-speed catamaran and a cargo boat collided off Tsing Yi.

The collision of two Discovery Bay ferries on April 9, 2001 - again in heavy fog - sparked chaos on board when staff failed to give any announcements in English, despite at least half the passengers not being able to understand Cantonese.

In December 2000, helicopters and marine rescue boats were used to rescue more than 100 passengers after a fire aboard a Lamma-bound ferry.