Barge not responsible for 2015 collision with Tsing Ma Bridge, Hong Kong court rules
Judge instead pins full blame on tugboat captain’s ‘blatant breach of law’
The company owning the barge that paralysed all land links connecting Hong Kong to the city’s airport by smashing into a key bridge in 2015 was on Monday found not responsible for the collision.
Instead West Kowloon Court concluded that Winway Engineering Limited had taken all reasonable precautions and that its tugboat captain Lai Muk-hei should bear full responsibility.
The case centred on a collision at 7.37pm on October 23, 2015, when dumb lighter Sun Choi Wai No 8, towed by tugboat Ever Shine No 12, hit the base of Kap Shui Mun Bridge while it was en route to Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter for repairs.
The incident prompted calls for the government to establish alternative transport links to what was widely known as one of the world’s best airports. The collision triggered an alarm system that closed the Kap Shui Mun plus Tsing Ma bridge sections of the Lantau Link.
Thousands of travellers were left stranded, with Lantau Island and the airport effectively cut off from the rest of the city, save for a circuitous route of ferries and buses.