Lamma coxswain says he wasn't told to give safety demonstration
Rescue boat coxswain tells hearing he was not told to run through emergency procedures with passengers or ensure children wore life jackets
The coxswain of a rescue boat in the Lamma ferry disaster was not advised to make sure all passengers on board were aware of the location of all life-saving devices, and the proper way to don a life jacket, the commission of inquiry into the collision was told yesterday.
Cheng Muk-hee, 54, also told the commission that he was instructed on September 30 to pilot the Lamma II on October 1 but was not advised to ensure all children on board wore a life jacket at all times. Cheng's vessel went to the aid of victims from the collision between the ferry Sea Smooth and Lamma IV, which sank killing 39 people.
The commission also heard that Cheng did not have a passenger list, which the Marine Department had suggested all coxswains should keep.
But he said: "I asked the chief engineer to check whether there were 66 passengers."
All the safety measures were on a notice issued by the Marine Department in late August, before the National Day fireworks display to which the Hongkong Electric-owned Lamma II and Lamma IV were taking passengers. Cheng's vessel had left the Hongkong Electric power plant pier on Lamma Island at 8.16pm, one minute after the Lamma IV.
The inquiry resumed yesterday after a holiday break from December 21 and will continue on weekdays until February 8.
Senior marine officer Ivan Shuen Chi-kuen said Hongkong Electric had been on the Marine Department's list to receive the safety notices since 2006.
The notice about last year's National Day fireworks display listed the closed and restricted areas in Victoria Harbour off Wan Chai as well as safety measures suggested for masters and owners of all vessels, Shuen said.
"For the sake of safety, coxswains should try their best" to persuade passengers to take the measures, he said.
But Cheng said he saw none of the notices on the Lamma II or in the crew room on the power plant pier. Cheng said he was about 1,000 metres from the Lamma II when he got a call for help on an internal radio system and saw the stricken vessel's lights go out. After one or two minutes, it started sinking.
Hongkong Electric employee Leung Kwok-wai, who was taking care of passengers on the Lamma II, said he was not told to check the number of lifejackets or their quality before the vessel left the pier. "If passengers moved around, I would help the crew advise them to go back to their seats," Leung said. The commission is looking into the cause of the tragedy, evaluating maritime safety and will make recommendations for improvement.
