The failure of two vessel masters to keep a proper lookout was the chief cause of a collision that killed four men, a Marine Department officer told an inquest yesterday.
Fan Wai-biu, the department's Surveyor of Ships who investigated the incident, said both masters had failed to comply with international regulations by not properly observing 'the surrounding environment'.
He said it was the main cause of the tragedy, which happened when a 7.5-metre speedboat heading to Siu A Chau collided with a bigger vessel bound for Western at 5.20am on January 10 off Tsing Yi, the inquest heard.
Four of the nine passengers heading for a fishing trip on the speedboat - Chan Ka-lun, 29, Lee Man-kit, 25, Tong Wai-lok, 30, and Wong Chi-wah, 30 - were killed. The other five and the master, Fung Kam-shing, 27, were injured.
Mr Fan said both masters had navigating lights and were not speeding.
But it 'definitely' would have helped had Chan Kam-yau, the master of the bigger vessel, 'Prompt Wind', known how to operate radar. Mr Chan, 47, told the court he had not turned on the radar as he had no licence for operating the equipment.
