Lamma ferry disaster captains 'had 3 minutes to avoid crash'
Commission of inquiry into disaster that left 39 dead is told ferry Sea Smooth and Lamma IV should have been clearly visible to each other
The captains of the two vessels that collided off Lamma Island killing 39 people should have been able to see each other's ships three minutes before they crashed, the commission of inquiry into the tragedy was told yesterday.
Counsel for the commission Paul Shieh Wing-tai SC said that according to the Observatory, visibility was clear and the wind was light at the time of the crash - 8.20pm on October 1 - and the weather and tide were not affecting navigation.
Shieh was making his opening remarks at the start of the main hearing by the commission. A preliminary hearing was held last week.
By the time the Hongkong Electric boat Lamma IV had cleared its berth and was under way, it was within two nautical miles of the ferry Sea Smooth.
"By 8.17pm, they should have been within sight of one another by radar and visually," he said.
An animation from radar data, played at the hearing, showed that Sea Smooth - with four crew and at least 62 passengers - was travelling at 24 nautical miles an hour about 20 seconds before the collision.