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- May 17, 2013
- Updated: 3:25pm
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Lamma ferry disaster
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 8.20pm on October 1, 2012. More than 100 passengers on the boat fell into the water. Thirty-nine people were confirmed dead after the accident. This is the deadliest boat accident in Hong Kong in 40 years.
Naval expert suggests separating roles to avoid inspection errors
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The person who approves a ship’s drawing plans in the future should also be the one who inspects the ship, a naval expert testifying at the commission of inquiry into the Lamma ferry disaster said on Wednesday.
Australian naval architect Dr Neville Armstrong said this requirement would prevent mistakes similar to those made when inspecting the Lamma IV, which collided with another vessel, the Sea Smooth, causing flooding and the death of 39 passengers on October 1 of last year.
Marine Department officers approved the Lamma IV drawing plans that were supposed to ensure that damage to the vessel’s bulkhead would cause flooding to one compartment and not spread to others.
However, inspectors failed to notice that a watertight door was missing when inspecting the vessel, which, according to Armstrong, led to the flooding of three Lamma IV compartments and contributed to the speedy sinking of the vessel.
At the hearing, British maritime expert Captain Nigel Pryke also said that the investigation and prosecutions units of the Maritime Department should be a separate entity from the department, pointing out that international rules state that investigations into sea accidents should be conducted independent from any party involved.
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11:33pm
Perhaps the confusion stemmed from, " ...also said that the investigation and prosecutions units of the Maritime Department should be a separate entity." No doubt because "inspection" and "investigation" both start with 'in' and therefore the headline writer thought they were the same word or had the same meaning. Apparently hiring people who are familiar with the English language is not a priority for SCMP.
