https://www.scmp.com/rss/326294/feed News on accidents, spills and rescues at sea. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Danny Mok Danny Mok Families of victims who died in Hong Kong’s Lamma ferry disaster 13 years ago have filed an application for a judicial review against a coroner’s findings in an inquest, saying the conclusions showed irrationality and failed to weigh contradictory evidence. Four individuals lodged the application in the High Court on Wednesday. They acted without lawyers. They want the court to quash the coroner’s findings that a missing watertight door on the ill-fated Lamma IV ferry was a deliberate design... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351053/families-seek-review-coroners-findings-lamma-ferry-disaster-inquest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351053/families-seek-review-coroners-findings-lamma-ferry-disaster-inquest?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:23:48 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse France and Britain said on Friday that they would lead a multinational mission to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, while emphasising the force would be entirely defensive and only deployed once lasting peace in the region was agreed. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the force was being set up as they co-chaired international talks in Paris focused on ensuring free-flowing trade through the critical shipping corridor. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350543/iran-war-france-and-uk-lead-defensive-force-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350543/iran-war-france-and-uk-lead-defensive-force-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:35:55 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim The White House on Wednesday dismissed as untrue reports that the US had sought to extend a ceasefire with Iran, while confirming that discussions over a second round of in-person negotiations were under way after marathon talks in Islamabad last week ended without a breakthrough. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that discussions were under way about a further round of talks with Tehran but “nothing is official”, adding that the negotiations would “very likely” be held... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350225/iran-threatens-shut-down-red-sea-shipping-unless-us-lifts-naval-blockade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350225/iran-threatens-shut-down-red-sea-shipping-unless-us-lifts-naval-blockade?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:04:31 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Singapore police have confirmed that a body recovered from the sea off the Indonesian island of Karimun is that of a 37-year-old man who has been missing since March 27 after a collision between two boats. The police said on Sunday that Indonesian authorities had found the body of Chua Muhammad Syafidi floating in the sea off the island to the southwest of Singapore at about 3pm on March 30, according to The Straits Times. “The body, believed to be the missing person from the collision between a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349121/singapore-police-say-body-found-missing-man-boat-collision?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349121/singapore-police-say-body-found-missing-man-boat-collision?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 04:48:58 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg A French container ship and a Japanese-owned tanker have crossed the Strait of Hormuz, in what appear to be the first such transits since the war in Iran closed the crucial waterway. The CMA CGM Kribi container ship exited the strait on Friday, according to ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg and two people familiar with the situation. That is the first ship linked to western Europe that is known to have made it through since the war began more than a month ago. Japan’s Mitsui OSK Lines... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349004/iran-war-french-and-japanese-owned-ships-make-first-strait-hormuz-crossings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349004/iran-war-french-and-japanese-owned-ships-make-first-strait-hormuz-crossings?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 16:32:11 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele The risks of environmental calamity in the Strait of Hormuz are mounting with each passing week of the Iran conflict, conservationists have warned, as giant tankers filled with fuel are trapped in a small area and Iran continues to fire missiles and drones at Gulf oil assets. The potential for catastrophe in the waterway was sharpened on Monday when a Kuwaiti crude tanker was set ablaze at Dubai Port in an Iranian attack that damaged its hull, sparking warnings of a possible oil spill. The... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3348680/environmental-risks-grow-iran-war-traps-oil-tankers-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3348680/environmental-risks-grow-iran-war-traps-oil-tankers-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 11:00:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Two aid boats bound for Cuba that were feared missing after they set sail from Mexico have “safely transited” to the island, the US coastguard said on Friday. The Mexican Navy had reported on Thursday that it launched a search and rescue mission after losing communication with the vessels, which had left from Isla Mujeres in southeast Mexico on March 20 with nine people aboard. The US coastguard, which was not involved in the search efforts, said on Friday it had received a report at 10.36am... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3348215/missing-aid-boats-safely-crossed-cuba-us-coastguard-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3348215/missing-aid-boats-safely-crossed-cuba-us-coastguard-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 17:32:55 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Chinese engineers have designed the country’s first tourist submersible equipped to venture as deep as 1,000 metres (3,280 feet) below the ocean surface, giving eventual new momentum to the luxury travel industry. Engineers at the China Ship Scientific Research Centre in Wuxi, a city west of Shanghai, plan to build a prototype before the end of the year and enter commercial operation by 2030 for as many as four passengers per trip, state-run media outlets said this week. Key components including... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346863/china-developing-first-tourist-submersible-trips-1000-metres-under-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346863/china-developing-first-tourist-submersible-trips-1000-metres-under-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 02:00:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Two boats carrying 21 people capsized on Monday off Henoko, a controversial relocation site for a US military base off Japan’s southern island of Okinawa, throwing all into the water and leaving two of them dead, officials said. The Japan Coast Guard said 18 of them were students from a Kyoto high school on two boats, 10 on Heiwa Maru and eight on the smaller Fukutsu, to observe the Henoko area as part of their peace education programme. Rescuers pulled all 21 people out of the water, but... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3346746/2-dead-after-japanese-school-trip-boats-capsize-us-military-base-site-okinawa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3346746/2-dead-after-japanese-school-trip-boats-capsize-us-military-base-site-okinawa?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 09:11:33 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin US President Donald Trump on Saturday urged other nations, including China, to deploy ships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil supplies disrupted by the war in the Middle East. “Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346628/iran-war-trump-urges-china-other-nations-send-warships-secure-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346628/iran-war-trump-urges-china-other-nations-send-warships-secure-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 16:37:02 +0000 Reuters Reuters Iran ⁠has allowed two Indian-flagged liquefied ⁠petroleum gas carriers to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, ⁠four sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, a rare exception to the Iranian blockade that has disrupted global energy supplies. The Indian-flagged LPG tanker Shivalik crossed the Strait under escort from the Indian Navy, said two of the sources, and the second vessel, Nanda Devi, was expected to clear in the ‌next few hours. Since the United States and Israel launched a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346565/iran-lets-2-india-flagged-gas-tankers-sail-through-strait-hormuz-insiders-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346565/iran-lets-2-india-flagged-gas-tankers-sail-through-strait-hormuz-insiders-say?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 18:35:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Thai bulk carrier travelling in the crucial Strait of Hormuz was attacked on Wednesday, with 20 crew members rescued so far, the Thai navy said. Photos shared by the Royal Thai Navy showed heavy black smoke billowing from the hull and superstructure of the Thai-registered Mayuree Naree, with life rafts floating in the water. The vessel “was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz” after departing Khalifa port in the United Arab Emirates, the navy said in a statement. “The specific... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346242/thai-navy-says-cargo-ship-attacked-near-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346242/thai-navy-says-cargo-ship-attacked-near-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:08:24 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ships anchored in the Gulf or transiting the Strait of Hormuz are changing their tracking data to boast links to China in an attempt to evade Iranian attacks, according to data from shipping tracker Marine Traffic analysed by Agence France-Presse. Iran has effectively closed the vital waterway since US-Israeli strikes on it began on February 28, and at least 10 vessels have been attacked since. But by claiming to have an “all-Chinese crew” aboard, or changing their destination to “Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346021/ships-brandish-china-links-evade-irans-attacks-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346021/ships-brandish-china-links-evade-irans-attacks-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 17:52:45 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A collision between a speedboat carrying migrants and a Greek coastguard patrol vessel off the eastern Aegean island of Chios has killed at least 15 people, the coastguard said late on Tuesday, while a search and rescue operation involving patrol boats, a helicopter and divers was under way for potentially missing people. The bodies of 14 people – 11 men and three women – were recovered from the sea, the coastguard said, while another 25 migrants, including about 11 children, were rescued and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342296/least-15-killed-collision-between-migrant-speedboat-and-greek-coastguard-vessel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342296/least-15-killed-collision-between-migrant-speedboat-and-greek-coastguard-vessel?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 23:43:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press There was no mayday call from the commercial fishing vessel Lily Jean as it navigated the frigid Atlantic Ocean on Friday morning on its way home to Gloucester, Massachusetts, America’s oldest fishing port. The US Coast Guard was notified by the boat’s beacon that alerts when it hits the water. When rescuers arrived they found one person dead, floating in the water, along with a debris field and an empty lifeboat. Six people remain missing. The fate of the Lily Jean, a 22-metre (72-foot) fishing... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341927/search-continues-frigid-atlantic-6-crew-after-noreaster-men-fishing-boat-sinks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341927/search-continues-frigid-atlantic-6-crew-after-noreaster-men-fishing-boat-sinks?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jan 2026 05:20:44 +0000 CNA CNA Six men who had been sent back to Indonesia after immigration breaches tried to re-enter Singapore illegally on a sampan, but were caught when it sank. On Monday, they were sentenced to jail terms of one year to one year and nine months, and between four and 10 strokes of the cane. The group was led by 23-year-old Asrarudin, who steered the boat despite having no experience. He was joined by 28-year-old Brick, a repeat offender who received the heaviest sentence of nearly two years. Four other... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3341398/singapore-jails-canes-6-indonesians-after-illegal-re-entry-sinking-boat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3341398/singapore-jails-canes-6-indonesians-after-illegal-re-entry-sinking-boat?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 08:34:46 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A ferry with more than 350 people on board sank early Monday morning near an island in the southern Philippines, and rescuers have saved at least 316 passengers and retrieved 18 bodies, according to officials. The MV Trisha Kerstin 3, an inter-island cargo and passenger ferry, was sailing to southern Jolo island in Sulu province from the port city of Zamboanga with 332 passengers and 27 crew members when it apparently encountered technical problems and sank after midnight, coastguard officials... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3341197/philippine-ferry-carrying-over-350-people-sinks-least-15-dead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3341197/philippine-ferry-carrying-over-350-people-sinks-least-15-dead?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 02:18:46 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow Relatives of the 39 victims in one of Hong Kong’s deadliest maritime disasters expressed anger after the coroner overseeing an inquest said it was “impractical and unrealistic” for them to expect inspectors could have spotted a missing watertight door if they had examined the ship’s structural drawings. Coroner Monica Chow Wai-choo said on Thursday, the second day of the verdict, that the Marine Department’s officers would not have detected the missing watertight door on the underdeck of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3340878/outrageous-families-hong-kong-ferry-crash-victims-fume-over-coroners-remarks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3340878/outrageous-families-hong-kong-ferry-crash-victims-fume-over-coroners-remarks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 12:41:33 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong The Coroner’s Court is expected to deliver a long-awaited verdict on Wednesday for an inquest into one of Hong Kong’s deadliest maritime disasters, in which 39 residents died after a collision between two ferries near Lamma Island in 2012. After the government commissioned an inquiry into the cause of the tragedy later that year, families of victims decided not to take part in the proceedings, citing difficulties in securing legal representation and the expectation that an inquest would occur in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3340472/hong-kong-set-receive-long-awaited-inquest-verdict-2012-lamma-ferry-crash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3340472/hong-kong-set-receive-long-awaited-inquest-verdict-2012-lamma-ferry-crash?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 02:31:34 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall A lone body discovered on a cold Japanese beach and a shattered wooden boat coated in black tar have stirred memories of the “ghost ships” that in past winters drifted across to Japan from North Korea. The body washed ashore on Wednesday in Ishikawa prefecture, while a Japan Coast Guard vessel later recovered the capsized boat nearby, local media reported. Authorities have yet to identify the man and are investigating whether he was linked to the vessel, which bore Korean characters and numbers.... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3339354/body-capsized-boat-found-japan-waters-raise-spectre-north-korean-ghost-ships?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3339354/body-capsized-boat-found-japan-waters-raise-spectre-north-korean-ghost-ships?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Jan 2026 01:30:19 +0000 Agencies Agencies Indonesian rescue teams on Sunday recovered the body of a Spanish football coach who worked with Valencia CF’s women’s team, more than a week after a tourist boat capsized in waters near Komodo National Park, a search official said. The discovery followed the earlier recovery of one of Fernando Martin’s daughters, while two other children remain missing. Martin, 44, was travelling with his wife and four children when the wooden tourist vessel KM Putri Sakinah ran into trouble off the coast of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338664/2-bodies-found-indonesia-extends-search-missing-spanish-father-3-children?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338664/2-bodies-found-indonesia-extends-search-missing-spanish-father-3-children?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 07:39:40 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Travelling is as much about impressing others as about experiencing for many social media users nowadays. The temptation to go the extra mile to show off something extraordinary can be overpowering, so much so that it may eclipse common sense and result in injuries or even fatal mishaps. The tragic death of a mainland visitor in Sai Kung on New Year’s Eve – reportedly after slipping from a cliff while taking pictures – is yet another grim reminder of the risk that too many are willing to take... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3338512/tourists-must-put-safety-first-quest-perfect-photo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3338512/tourists-must-put-safety-first-quest-perfect-photo?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 22:45:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Indonesian rescuers searched for four members of a Spanish family on Saturday after a tour boat carrying 11 people sank overnight near Padar Island, a popular destination within Komodo National Park, officials said. The boat was carrying the family of six, four crew members and a local guide when it went down on Friday evening after suffering engine failure on a trip from Komodo Island to Padar, said Fathur Rahman, who heads the Maumere Search and Rescue Office. He said three people were rescued... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337886/indonesian-rescuers-search-spanish-family-4-after-tourist-boat-sinks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337886/indonesian-rescuers-search-spanish-family-4-after-tourist-boat-sinks?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 08:55:00 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong The Coroner’s Court has postponed a long-awaited verdict for an inquest into one of Hong Kong’s deadliest maritime disasters, in which 39 residents died after a collision between two ferries in 2012. The court was slated to make a ruling on Thursday on the underlying causes of the crash, which took place off Lamma Island, that had not been identified by a previous government-appointed inquiry in 2013. A judiciary spokesman confirmed the hearing had been postponed but declined to elaborate. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3334928/hong-kong-court-postpones-inquest-verdict-2012-lamma-island-ferry-crash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3334928/hong-kong-court-postpones-inquest-verdict-2012-lamma-island-ferry-crash?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 10:32:57 +0000 Reuters Reuters All crew members have been evacuated from the container ship One Henry Hudson after a fire and explosion disrupted the vessel’s power and crane operations at San Pedro port on Friday, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) said. Hazardous materials have been identified in several bays at the port, and firefighters are wearing protective gear and using self-contained breathing equipment. Marine units continue cooling the ship’s exterior, with no personnel allowed below deck, the LAFD said. TV... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333799/container-ship-fire-los-angeles-port-triggers-hazardous-material-alerts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333799/container-ship-fire-los-angeles-port-triggers-hazardous-material-alerts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 11:51:32 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A South Korean ferry ran aground after the helmsman became distracted by his mobile phone, a member of the coastguard said on Thursday. All 267 passengers and crew were safely brought to a nearby port after the ferry crashed on an uninhabited island off South Korea’s southwestern coast. The passenger vessel was travelling from Jeju Island to the port city of Mokpo when it ran aground after 8pm (local time) on Wednesday, authorities said. A preliminary investigation found that “the officer... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3333488/helmsmans-phone-distraction-blamed-south-korean-ferry-grounding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3333488/helmsmans-phone-distraction-blamed-south-korean-ferry-grounding?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 03:50:47 +0000 dpa dpa A ferry company operating in Britain has apologised after children were left “screaming” when an adult film was played on one of its ships from France to southern England. Danish-based ferry operator DFDS has said it is “very sorry” after the incident, which happened on board the ferry from Dieppe in France to the British port of Newhaven. It said that an “adult film” was mistakenly broadcast on the lounge television to passengers after watching a Formula One grand prix, causing children on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3332534/children-left-screaming-after-ferry-shows-hardcore-porn-after-f1-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3332534/children-left-screaming-after-ferry-shows-hardcore-porn-after-f1-race?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 16:00:14 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Faulty engineering led to the implosion of an experimental submersible that killed five people on the way to the wreck of the Titanic, the US National Transportation Safety Board concluded in a report on Wednesday. The NTSB made the statement in its final report on the hull failure and implosion of the Titan submersible in June 2023. Everyone on board the submersible died instantly in the North Atlantic when Titan suffered a catastrophic implosion as it descended to the wreck. The NTSB report... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329170/titan-sub-imploded-way-titanic-wreck-because-faulty-engineering-final-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329170/titan-sub-imploded-way-titanic-wreck-because-faulty-engineering-final-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Oct 2025 21:18:36 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Beneath the turquoise waters of a remote Pacific atoll, a Japanese warship sunk more than 80 years ago has begun leaking fuel oil, threatening ecological disaster. The source of the leak is the Rio de Janeiro Maru, a huge vessel used by the Imperial Japanese Navy as a submarine tender during World War II that was sunk by American bombers more than 80 years ago. Today, as oil streams from its rusting hulk, officials in the Chuuk Islands fear this may be just the first instance of hazardous waste... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3328576/japanese-ghost-fleet-rusting-wwii-wrecks-poisoning-pacific-paradise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3328576/japanese-ghost-fleet-rusting-wwii-wrecks-poisoning-pacific-paradise?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 00:00:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Two Chinese nationals were killed and an Indonesian was missing on Tuesday after a boat sailing to the popular island of Bali with dozens on board sank, rescue authorities said. A fast boat travelling from Nusa Penida “sank and ran aground” near Sanur port in Bali’s east, the island’s search and rescue agency said in a statement. Head of the rescue agency in Bali’s provincial capital Denpasar, I Nyoman Sidakarya, confirmed two Chinese nationals were killed and a 23-year-old Indonesian remained... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3320873/two-chinese-passengers-dead-bali-boat-accident?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3320873/two-chinese-passengers-dead-bali-boat-accident?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Aug 2025 16:38:54 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A US Coast Guard report released on Tuesday found that the deadly Titan submersible implosion that killed five people said the disaster was “preventable”, citing safety failures and deliberate efforts to avoid oversight. All five people inside the Titan died in a catastrophic implosion as it descended to the wreck of the Titanic off Canada, and the days-long search for the missing vessel grabbed international headlines. The coastguard convened its highest level of investigation in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3320867/titan-implosion-preventable-due-critically-flawed-safety-coastguard-report-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3320867/titan-implosion-preventable-due-critically-flawed-safety-coastguard-report-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Aug 2025 14:17:00 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Japanese operator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant said the start of full-scale removal of melted fuel debris would be delayed for several years until 2037 or later, the latest setback underscoring the challenges ahead. The Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (Tepco) said on Tuesday it would need 12 to 15 years of preparation before starting full-scale removal of melted fuel debris at the No 3 reactor. That preparation includes reducing radiation levels and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3320039/fukushima-debris-removal-delayed-until-2037-or-later?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3320039/fukushima-debris-removal-delayed-until-2037-or-later?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jul 2025 22:00:11 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Sri Lanka’s top court on Thursday ordered the owners of a Singapore-flagged container ship that sank near its capital to pay US$1 billion in compensation to the island nation’s government for causing the most severe marine environmental catastrophe in the country’s history. The container ship MV X-Press Pearl, which was carrying chemicals, sank off Colombo in June 2021 after catching fire. The Supreme Court said the incident caused “unprecedented devastation to the marine environment of Sri... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3319517/singapore-ships-owners-ordered-pay-sri-lanka-us1-billion-over-plastic-spill?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3319517/singapore-ships-owners-ordered-pay-sri-lanka-us1-billion-over-plastic-spill?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Jul 2025 00:21:45 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar A deadly ferry fire in Indonesia has reignited calls for sweeping reform of its maritime transport sector, with analysts blaming overcapacity, ageing fleets and weak enforcement for a string of recent boat disasters across the sprawling archipelago nation of over 17,000 islands. On Sunday afternoon, a ferry was carrying more than double its declared passenger capacity when it caught fire off Talise Island, off the coast of Sulawesi, forcing dozens to jump into the sea and killing at least five... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3319138/indonesias-recurring-tragedy-deadly-boat-fire-fuels-urgent-reform-calls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3319138/indonesias-recurring-tragedy-deadly-boat-fire-fuels-urgent-reform-calls?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Jul 2025 09:00:44 +0000 Reuters Reuters The thunderstorm came so suddenly that it overturned the boat within seconds, said two survivors of the shipwreck, which killed at least 35 people in Vietnam’s top tourist spot of Ha Long Bay and left another four missing. “It had been raining for 15 minutes, then there was a thunderstorm … and a huge wave that all of a sudden capsized the boat,” said Nguyen Hong Quan, one of 10 survivors of the accident, which happened early on Saturday afternoon. “It took only a few seconds,” he said on... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3319034/capsized-boat-survivors-recount-deadly-vietnam-storm-killed-35-people-what-tragedy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3319034/capsized-boat-survivors-recount-deadly-vietnam-storm-killed-35-people-what-tragedy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Jul 2025 10:44:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Rescuers searched desperately on Sunday for four people still missing after at least 35 were killed when a boat capsized at one of Vietnam’s most popular tourist destinations. The tourist boat ferrying families around Vietnam’s famed Ha Long Bay was lashed by a sudden storm Saturday in one of the deadliest disasters at the Unesco World Heritage site. The “Wonder Sea” vessel was carrying 46 passengers and three crew members when it capsized because of sudden heavy rain, according to a provincial... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3318869/3-killed-storm-wipha-causes-tourist-boat-capsize-vietnams-halong-bay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3318869/3-killed-storm-wipha-causes-tourist-boat-capsize-vietnams-halong-bay?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Jul 2025 13:30:37 +0000 Reuters Reuters Rescuers pulled three more crew members and a security guard alive from the Red Sea on Thursday, maritime security sources said, a day after Houthi militants sank the Greek ship Eternity C and said they were holding some of the crew still missing. It was the second Greek bulk carrier sunk this week by the Iran-aligned Houthi militia, shattering months of relative calm off Yemen’s coast, the gateway to the Red Sea and a critical route for oil and commodities to the world. Many shipping companies... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3317778/rescuers-save-4-more-survivors-houthi-struck-ship-red-sea-10-still-missing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3317778/rescuers-save-4-more-survivors-houthi-struck-ship-red-sea-10-still-missing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Jul 2025 23:23:48 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press At least nine people were killed after a bridge over a river collapsed in India’s western Gujarat state on Wednesday, news agency Press Trust of India reported while quoting police officials. Gujarat’s Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said several vehicles were on the bridge when a portion of it collapsed, sending many into the river. He said at least five people were rescued. The incident occurred in Gujarat’s Vadodara district, which has witnessed heavy rains over the past few days. The bridge... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3317540/bridge-collapse-indias-gujurat-kills-least-9?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3317540/bridge-collapse-indias-gujurat-kills-least-9?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Jul 2025 08:29:30 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse At least six people were dead and dozens unaccounted for on Thursday after a ferry sank in rough seas on its way to the Indonesian resort island Bali, according to rescue authorities who said 29 survivors had been plucked from the water so far. Rescuers were racing to find 30 people still missing at sea after the vessel carrying 65 passengers and crew sank before midnight on Wednesday, as it sailed to the popular holiday destination from Indonesia’s main island Java. “The ferry tilted and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3316721/least-61-people-missing-after-ferry-capsizes-near-indonesias-bali?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3316721/least-61-people-missing-after-ferry-capsizes-near-indonesias-bali?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 01:03:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A British-flagged luxury superyacht that sank off Sicily last year, killing UK tech magnate Mike Lynch and six others, was lifted fully out of the water on Saturday afternoon as salvage recovery crews completed the operation to bring it ashore for further investigation. The white top and blue hull of the 56-metre (184-foot) Bayesian, covered with algae and mud, was visible clear of the sea in a holding area of a yellow floating crane barge. The local coastguard said the lifting operation will be... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3315354/uk-tech-tycoon-mike-lynchs-doomed-bayesian-superyacht-lifted-out-water?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3315354/uk-tech-tycoon-mike-lynchs-doomed-bayesian-superyacht-lifted-out-water?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Jun 2025 16:37:31 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A salvage team was expected to arrive early next week at the scene of a cargo ship that was carrying about 3,000 vehicles to Mexico when it caught fire in waters off Alaska’s Aleutian island chain. A tug carrying salvage specialists and special equipment was expected to arrive at the location of the Morning Midas around Monday, the ship’s management company, London-based Zodiac Maritime, said Thursday. The crew will assess the ship’s condition, and a separate tug with firefighting and ocean... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3313298/salvage-team-bound-burning-cargo-ship-alaska-carrying-chinese-cars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3313298/salvage-team-bound-burning-cargo-ship-alaska-carrying-chinese-cars?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jun 2025 04:05:03 +0000 Reuters Reuters Authorities in the southern Indian state of Kerala were scrambling to contain an oil spill on Monday after a container vessel sank, leaking fuel into the Arabian Sea and releasing 100 cargo containers into the water. The Liberia-flagged MSC ELSA3 ship was travelling from Vizhinjam on India’s southern tip to Kochi when it capsized about 38 nautical miles (70km) off Kerala on Saturday, officials said, adding that all 24 crew members had been rescued. The crew included one Russian, two Ukrainian,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3311792/ship-sinks-indias-coast-spilling-oil-and-cargo-containers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3311792/ship-sinks-indias-coast-spilling-oil-and-cargo-containers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 May 2025 06:11:18 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A former Marine Department official has maintained at a court inquest into one of Hong Kong’s deadliest maritime disasters that he and his colleagues were not obliged to detect structural flaws during regular ship inspections. Retired principal ship surveyor Wong Chi-kin told the Coroner’s Court on Friday that department staff would only inspect specific items on a vessel “by intuition” without looking for possible defects. Wong said ship inspectors would not have realised the lack of a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3311613/inspectors-did-not-need-look-ship-flaws-hong-kong-disaster-probe-told?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3311613/inspectors-did-not-need-look-ship-flaws-hong-kong-disaster-probe-told?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 May 2025 13:15:38 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A man in Norway awoke early on Thursday to discover a huge container ship had run aground a stone’s throw from his fjord-side house – and he had slept through the commotion. For an as-yet unknown reason, the 135m (443 ft) NCL Salten sailed up onto shore just metres from Johan Helberg’s house in a fjord near Trondheim in central Norway. Helberg only discovered the unexpected visitor when a panicked neighbour who had rung his doorbell repeatedly to no avail gave up and called him on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3311406/norway-cabin-owner-sleeps-cargo-ship-runs-aground-outside?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3311406/norway-cabin-owner-sleeps-cargo-ship-runs-aground-outside?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 May 2025 11:12:21 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Two Marine Department officials have told a court inquest that they failed to notice a design flaw in a ferry involved in one of Hong Kong’s deadliest maritime disasters as they thought they were not required to look for such issues during periodical check-ups. The Coroner’s Court on Monday heard oral evidence from three current and former ship inspectors who were involved in checks on the Lamma IV between 1997 and 2009 before it collided with another ferry and sank on October 1, 2012. The Lamma... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3310969/hong-kong-marine-officials-missed-ferry-design-flaw-disaster-inquiry-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3310969/hong-kong-marine-officials-missed-ferry-design-flaw-disaster-inquiry-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 May 2025 14:33:57 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung At least three ferry services to and from Macau will be cancelled after a high-speed catamaran with 300 people on board hit a pier in Hong Kong and required “urgent vessel repairs”, according to the operator. The TurboJet catamaran hit the pier at the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan shortly after 3.30pm on Saturday, when the Macau-bound vessel returned to the dock because of “mechanical failure”. No injuries were reported. Images circulating online showed that the bow of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3310762/high-speed-ferry-300-aboard-hits-pier-hong-kong-no-injuries-reported?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3310762/high-speed-ferry-300-aboard-hits-pier-hong-kong-no-injuries-reported?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 May 2025 10:59:20 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A former engineering manager at the company that built a ferry involved in one of Hong Kong’s deadliest maritime disasters has admitted during a court inquest that he failed to ensure the accuracy of the vessel’s safety data submitted to the government. Cheung Chuen-yau made the comment while testifying at the Coroner’s Court on Friday, the fourth day of what is expected to be a 60-day inquiry into a 2012 maritime disaster that left 39 people dead. Cheung told the court that he was responsible... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3309798/ex-ship-worker-failed-check-safety-data-sunk-hong-kong-ferry-court-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3309798/ex-ship-worker-failed-check-safety-data-sunk-hong-kong-ferry-court-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 May 2025 11:59:09 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A survivor of Hong Kong’s Lamma Island ferry disaster has told a court inquest that the life jackets were locked away and he was unable to obtain one for himself before his ferry sank following its collision with another vessel. Philip Chiu Ping-chuen, whose sister died in the tragedy, on Thursday became the first witness to provide verbal testimony at the coroner’s inquiry into the accident that took place on October 1, 2012. That night, the Lamma Island-bound Sea Smooth catamaran, operated by... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3309588/hong-kong-ferry-disaster-survivor-says-life-jackets-locked-away-sinking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3309588/hong-kong-ferry-disaster-survivor-says-life-jackets-locked-away-sinking?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 May 2025 09:42:08 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A coroner’s inquest into one of Hong Kong’s worst maritime disasters started on Tuesday, with some survivors complaining that they were never told the location of life-saving apparatus and the means of escape before their ferry sank in the accident 13 years ago. The Coroner’s Court on Tuesday began hearing evidence regarding the circumstances of the 39 deaths caused by a collision between two ferries in waters off Lamma Island on October 1, 2012. The long-overdue hearing was held after two... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3309320/coroners-inquest-begins-2012-hong-kong-lamma-ferry-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3309320/coroners-inquest-begins-2012-hong-kong-lamma-ferry-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 May 2025 16:07:41 +0000 Reuters Reuters At least three people died and seven others, including two children, were missing after a small boat capsized in choppy seas off the California coast in a suspected migrant smuggling attempt north of San Diego, US officials said on Monday. Four survivors rescued after the “panga”-style open fishing vessel washed ashore near Torrey Pines State Beach were transported to hospitals, and two other people found on a nearby beach were detained by authorities, according to US Coast Guard officials. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3309163/3-dead-9-missing-boat-believed-be-carrying-migrants-capsizes-california-coast?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3309163/3-dead-9-missing-boat-believed-be-carrying-migrants-capsizes-california-coast?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 May 2025 19:26:16 +0000