Maritime

Citation

(2000), "Maritime", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 9 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2000.07309eac.001

Maritime

Maritime

24 December 1999 – Manila, Philippines

M ferry Asia South Korea, owned by Trans Asia Shipping Lines, sank some ten miles north-west of Bantayan Island, Cebu, at about 0500, yesterday, due to big waves, after she had left Cebu City for Iloilo. The vessel was reportedly carrying at least 650 passengers and crew. Rescue officials said 540 had been rescued. The rest are still missing. Vessel Dexter, owned by Robles Shipping Lines, passing the disaster area, rescued more than 190 passengers, 30 minutes after the vessel sunk. The Philippine navy rescued around another 100 passengers at 1500 hrs. Survivors related how a big wave swamped the ferry, knocking out the vessel's lights. The crew immediately distributed life jackets and launched life rafts, loading them first with children. SAR operations are still going on.

24 December 1999 – At least 38 people were still missing some 24 hours after the sinking of m ferry Asia South Korea, authorities said today. Civil Defence official, Angel Gaviola, said 614 people had been rescued and 38 were still missing. He said six people were killed but the military had put the death toll yesterday at nine. Gaviola said more survivors could still be found, even though it was more than 24 hours since the accident, stating:

We heard that some survivors boarded fishing boats because that is a fishing ground area.

Rescue operations resumed at dawn after being halted at night because of bad weather, Gaviola said, adding that fishing vessels, naval vessels and merchant vessels were still scouring the area. Survivors said they heard an explosion before the vessel went down in rough seas. Victoria Fronteras, a 63-year-old women travelling with her husband, told reporters she heard an explosion before the vessel sank.

After an explosion, a lot of people panicked because they felt that the boat is leaning on the right side.

She was speaking in Iloilo City, where survivors were taken late yesterday after they were picked up by a merchant vessel. Fronteras said they spent over four hours in a lifeboat before they were rescued. Her husband, Carlito, said:

Before the explosion, it seemed that the vessel hit something below and then it shook.

Officials have said it was too early to say what caused the vessel to capsize.

Some 680 people are now known to have survived but Defence Secretary, Orlando Mercado, said today the vessel may have been carrying more people than allowed and many others may be missing. At least ten bodies have also been recovered since the vessel, carrying hundreds of men, women and children home for the Christmas holidays, sank in the Visayan Sea in the central Philippines shortly before dawn yesterday. The vessel was licensed to carry 614 passengers, apart from a crew of about 60, and the owners said a total of 658 were aboard. Angel Gaviola, a civil defence official co-ordinating rescue operations, said 681 people had been picked up, adding that an earlier figure of over 750 included double counting. However, he noted this was still above licensed capacity. Gaviloa later said the discrepancies could mean many more people were missing, since no one seemed to know how many were on board the vessel. He said rescue operations would continue. The vessel capsized while on a 12-hour voyage from Cebu to the island of Iloilo. The Coast Guard said the departure was delayed because authorities found some 80 passengers in excess of the 614 the vessel was licensed to carry. The vessel was allowed to leave after the extra passengers were taken off, it added. The sinking of the vessel triggered a huge rescue operation involving the navy, the air force, merchant vessels and scores of fishing boats.

25 December 1999 – Efforts are continuing to rescue survivors from m ferry Asia South Korea which capsized in the central Philippines two days ago and a total of 711 people have so far been plucked from the sea, an official said today. At least 15 people were believed to have been killed in the sinking of the Asia South Korea in the Visayan Sea shortly before dawn on Thursday (December 22), said Angel Gaviola, the officer co-ordinating the search and rescue operations. "As of this morning, the total number of survivors is 711".

Gaviola told Reuters from the central Philippine city of Cebu.

We have nine confirmed dead, but we have reports of more bodies being washed up on islands. The total of dead and rescued is far above the number of passengers and crew said to be on the ship.

Bodies of dead passengers washed ashore in the central Philippines today, raising the death toll to 20, as officials threatened sanctions for alleged overloading. The bodies of several victims were found on the coast of Sagay, a coastal city on the island of Negros, two days after the vessel sank off the island of Cebu, the civil defence office said. No more survivors have been found since yesterday but the search would continue, said Maj-Gen Santos Gabison, the commander of the military forces in the central Philippines who is leading the rescue effort. However, there was confusion today on how many people, if any, were still unaccounted for.

26 December 1999 – Officials said today 27 bodies have been recovered. Angel Gaviola, director of the regional disaster co-ordinating council heading rescue operations, said the search for survivors was continuing. Gaviola said:

Yesterday they recovered only dead bodies. The death toll has reached 27 already. The search is still going on.

Some 711 people were rescued following the sinking, but the vessel's owners have said just 658 passengers and crew were on board at the time. Defence Secretary, Orlando Mercado, said that the vessel was overloaded. He said:

You don't have to be a mathematical genius to conclude that there's been a serious violation of maritime rules and regulations.

The cause of the sinking is unknown, but newspaper reports have pointed to overloading as a possible factor. Mercado said earlier an inquiry into the accident had begun.

27 December 1999 – Rescuers pressed on with their search for passengers of m ferry Asia South Korea today, four days after she sank. The death toll from the disaster had risen to 41, disaster officials said. The National Disaster Coordinating Council said officials were still verifying the number of survivors.

28 December 1999 – A press report, dated Manila today, states Coast Guard divers found a hole in the starboard side of m ferry Asia South Korea yesterday, even as three officers of the agency were suspended for allegedly failing to stop the vessel's overloading. Investigators will try to verify reports that excess passengers hid in the engine-room, comfort rooms and kitchen during the Coast Guard head count. Marina investigator, Arnie Santiago, quoted five survivors as saying the engine was shut down for three hours. He theorised that even if the engine was repaired and restarted, it was too late as the vessel could have drifted to shallow water by then. It still is not clear what caused the vessel to sink last Thursday (December 23) morning off Bantayan island, but sanctions are already lined up against Trans-Asia Shipping Lines. Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) investigators recommended yesterday that the papers of the officers and crew of Asia South Korea be suspended. That will keep them from transferring to other vessels owned by Trans-Asia, while authorities investigate why the ferry sank. Among those affected is the master, who survived and now has to face allegations that pilot error was among the causes of the tragedy. He allegedly changed course to avoid large waves. Commander Ramon Liwag of the Philippine Coast Guard said that Trans-Asia's owners may face multiple homicide charges because the vessel was overloaded. The search enters its sixth day today. Government figures on deaths and survivors have yet to match, but as of last count there were 41 deaths and 699 survivors. Two more bodies were recovered from the vessel. In Manila, President Estrada ordered investigators to make sure there is no cover-up in the number of passengers. Search operations are now focused on coastal communities in Negros, where currents may have swept more survivors or bodies. At least 200 soldiers, using five helicopters and five patrol boats, are participating. Marina also recommended that all Trans-Asia vessels be inspected by Marina and the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard head office in Manila said Trans-Asia's owners may face homicide charges because the vessel was apparently over-loaded. The company has insisted the vessel stayed within its passenger capacity. But CG Commandant, Euceo Fajardo, citing overloading, suspended three Coast Guard personnel in Mandaue, from where the ferry left last week for Iloilo. Initially, Coast Guard authorities also established that the officers and crew failed to help the passengers when the vessel was about to sink. Also yesterday, Cebu City Mayor, Alvin Garcia, asked the Coast Guard to be stricter in enforcing load limits, especially during the holidays and other peak seasons. Marina investigators headed by Santiago recommended the suspension of the standard training certificate and watch-keeping, as well as the seamen's books, of all the officers and crew of Asia South Korea. Santiago said the recommendation, issued through Marina 7, will prevent these men from transferring to other vessels owned by Trans-Asia. Santiago's group will investigate today all the officers and crew of Asia South Korea, headed by ship captain Labagday. Santiago said that Trans-Asia management expressed their desire to support the investigation. The accident site has been identified as a danger spot for vessels passing the area because of its rocky and shallow portion. Big waves are noted, even during good weather. The hole that divers found in the vessel's bottom starboard hull bolstered accounts that the vessel hit submerged rocks while navigating in shallow water. Commodore Herby Escutin, 2nd Coast Guard District commander, said the confirmation was relayed by CG divers who also retrieved two more bodies from the vessel. Authorities theorised that water rushed into the punctured hull, resulting in the quick sinking. Escutin said their divers have taken video footage of the damaged hull for the board of marine inquiry. On orders of Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Fajardo, three CG officers responsible for conducting pre-departure inspections were relieved yesterday. They were relieved amid indications that the vessel left Ouano wharf on Wednesday evening with more than her authorised passenger capacity of 614. They will be investigated for negligence. For its part, Trans-Asia management created a task force to iron out the passengers list and get the exact number of those on the vessel. As to overloading, those are raw reports, said company spokesman Jonji Gonzales. The investigation is yet to start.

30 December 1999 – Philippine maritime authorities barred the entire fleet of a ferry firm involved in last week's maritime disaster from putting out to sea, as the Coast Guard prepared to file criminal charges. Maritime Industry Authority deputy administrator, Elenita Delgado, said in a radio interview on Tuesday (December 28) that she issued a "preventive suspension" order on Trans-Asia Shipping. Its fleet of 12 ferries would be restricted to port as maritime authorities conduct safety checks, she added. M ferry Asia South Korea, owned by the firm, sank off Bantayan island in the central Philippines on December 23 while transporting more than its allowed number of passengers. Port authorities have begun an inquiry into the cause of the accident. Survivors told rescuers they heard a loud explosion prior to ship's sinking. Search and rescue efforts, meanwhile, are still continuing, with divers and navy boats combing coastal communities in nearby Negros island.

9 January 1999 – The final death toll is 56. There were 699 survivors. The vessel is still lying in her position of sinking.

24 December 1999 – Estonia

A new report has found evidence of a number of small explosions on m passenger/ro-ro ferry Estonia that were at least partly responsible for her sinking in 1994, with the deaths of more than 850 people. The explosions, extremely poor maintenance and the fact that the upper extension of the collision bulkhead was wrongly positioned, are thought to have caused the catastrophe. This shocking conclusion emerges from evidence gathered for a new report by the German Group of Experts on the sinking of the Estonia, parts of which were leaked earlier this year. The Group was set up in 1995 by the Estonia's builder, Meyer Werft, and is headed by Hamburg lawyer Dr Peter Holtappels. In its report, the group claims that video tapes taken by Finnish, remotely-operated, underwater vehicles shortly after the accident show one unexploded pack of plastic explosives, which was no longer visible on video tapes taken later. British explosives expert, Brian Braidwood, had identified on video tape both the unexploded pack and three holes in the bow sector of the vessel, the report said and quotes Mr Braidwood:

On the balance of probability, it has to be assumed that this damage was caused by explosives.

Meyer Werft is fighting allegations that design faults were the main reason for the catastrophe. The new report has been drawn up to be presented to a Swedish court which will hear claims of six relatives of Estonia victims against the vessel's owners and operators. Meyer Werft fears that it might become the subject of legal action. The report, which consists of ten volumes, was opened for examination, in the Hamburg offices of the Group of Experts, to a number of journalists. The group insisted that no details should be published before the report was filed with the court, which is likely to happen next week. However, the Rostock daily Ost-seezeitung yesterday broke that undertaking. In the article, the paper repeated earlier speculation that the vessel might have had secret weapons on board, stolen from a Russian naval base, to be shipped via Sweden to the USA. The comparatively small explosions were not designed to sink her, but to force the vessel to go back to the Port of Tallinn and to prevent the shipment of the weapons, the speculation ran. However, The Group of Experts' report does not include such speculation. According to the group's report, poor maintenance of the visor, the locking devices and the bow ramp had led to a state where the vessel regularly took in up to 150 tonnes of water on her car deck. The crew used to open the starboard stern ramp to get rid of the water. Two or three hard bangs were heard by surviving passengers just before 2400 hrs. Linked with the evidence of Mr Braidwood, they could, in fact, have been explosions, the Group of Experts believes. These explosions cut off the starboard visor hinges, while the visor was still attached at the port side. The crew tried to fasten the visor again, using steel cable, but failed. Water entered the vessel, the crewman operating the starboard stern ramp fled from the water, leaving the ramp open. Large amounts of water then came in through the stern ramp. According to the Group of Experts, this explains why the vessel went down stern first, and not bow first, as would have been logical should the water have entered mainly through the bow ramp.

7 January 2000 – North Korea

Hyundai Group said today it had paid $6 million to North Korea to compensate for mv Manpok which sank in the Indian Ocean in March last year after colliding with Hyundai m container vessel Hyundai Duke. Hyundai Group said in a statement:

We paid $6 million to North Korea in November as insurance companies representing both sides agreed on the compensation in line with international convention.

The North Korean cargo vessel loaded with about 4,000 tonnes of cement sank quickly after having hit Hyundai's container vessel, which was passing through the area, about 500 miles south-cast of Colombo. The accident left 37 out of 39 North Korean crew-men missing, with only two survivors, who were rescued by the container vessel right after the accident. The group said its insurance company would cover the payment later.

20 January 2000 – Norway

The designer of m catamaran/passenger ferry Sleipner, which sank in November claiming 16 lives, believes the accident was caused by human error, and insists that the particular type of craft will remain a viable option for short-haul passenger transport. However, he believes the mishap could lead to tighter regulations, requiring either double-bottomed ferries or designs that allow a vessel to stay afloat even if all airtight compartments along one side of the hull are punctured. Asbjorn Tolo, of Bergen-based marine consultancy Paradis Nautica, said his group had studied the Sleipner case and could not see any equipment fault as the likely cause of the incident. The vessel was on a Stavanger-Bergen voyage with 86 passengers on November 26 when she struck rocks at 35 knots. The vessel sank about 45 minutes later. Mr Tolo said the vessel was specifically designed to eliminate gearing problems, where waves from aft can change the vessel's direction by as much as 30 deg. The vessel was off course when she hit the rocks. Mr Tolo said a video inspection of the vessel's remains, lying about 100 metres underwater, had shown that the forward three-quarters of the hull was severely damaged. The vessel had seven compartments in each hull. Five of these on the starboard side and four on the port side were punctured. Mr Tolo said a lot of the damage appeared to have been sustained while the vessel was caught on the rocks. She turned 90 deg before finally going under.

24 January 2000 – United Kingdom

The start of the re-hearing of the investigation into the loss of m ore/bulk/oil vessel Derbyshire has been postponed from February 23 to April 5, at the request of the Derbyshire Families Association (DFA). Mr Justice Colinan, the judge heading the inquiry, granted the DFA's application for more time to prepare its case, claiming that the loss of the vessel with all hands in a typhoon in the China Sea in 1980 was due to a design fault. The UK government holds 30,000 documents scanned on to eight CD-ROMS, together with 137,000 undersea photos and 1,800 hours of videotape of Derbyshire. The hearing will be at Chichester Rents, part of London's High Court.

3 February 2000 – Isle of Man, UK

An incident involving m tanker Eburna (18,654gt, built 1979) owned by Shell and on charter to Mobil, exposed the port of Melbourne to a potentially catastrophic explosion. A Marine Board of Victoria investigation has concluded that the vessel was in such a poor state of repair on September 4 last year that a tug's wire ripped a fairlead from the vessel, exposing non-inerted cargo tank containing low-flash petrol fumes. The vessel was performing an unberthing operation at Holden Dock, which is close to oil storage tanks and not far from populated areas. The Marine Board report states that while the atmosphere adjacent to the exposed petrol was almost certainly too rich for instant ignition, any subsequent spark in the vicinity of the opening could have resulted in an explosion. The report says the consequences could have been very serious had an explosion occurred. The incident occurred when m tug Keera took the strain on a towline to commence manoeuvring Eburna into the river. The fairlead, located on the forward port side, separated from its mountings and, with several sections of three-tiered handrail, travelled down the towrope and struck the tug's bow. No injury to crew or damage to the tug was reported, but a longitudinal crack in the deck plating underneath the dislodged fairlead doubling plate was observed. A hole in the deck plating, exposing the cargo tank, appeared underneath the fairlead. The crew temporarily plugged the hole in No.1 port tank and the vessel was taken to the outer explosive anchorage to enable temporary repairs to be carried out, before proceeding on to Westernport. While the Australian Maritime Safety Authority did not consider the items sufficiently serious to warrant a detention, its overall impression was that the vessel was not being maintained in a condition meeting international conventions and in particular the ISM Code, which relates to the proper management of a vessel, both on board and ashore in head office. Eburna is no stranger to problems in Australia. Two years ago, she encountered hull damage when she allegedly touched bottom leaving Port Phillip Bay. On July 26 last year, a port state control inspection revealed about 50 deficiencies. Less than a month later, on August 15, there was a spill of 20-30 litres of unleaded petrol from Eburna into Botany Bay, discovered during a routine random audit by a Sydney Ports Corporation. The port officer immediately performed an emergency shutdown of cargo operations. There was no crew or duty officer in attendance. Subsequent inquiries revealed that high-level alarms on the vessel's tanks were not operating and alternative monitoring arrangements had not been put in place.

7 February 2000 – Indian Ocean

The investigation into the collision between m container vessel Hyundai Duke and mv’Manpok in the Indian Ocean last March, in which 35 seafarers lost their lives, has cited negligence on the part of both crews. Panama's Directorate of Consular and Maritime Affairs inspector said the direct cause of the accident was Manpok being drawn across the bows of Hyundai Duke. Neither vessel had kept a proper deck watch, even though they were travelling close to each other on a similar course on the busy East-West main shipping route, nor had they communicated with each other before their passing, he said in his report. Neither officer of the watch had altered course to keep a good distance, especially necessary when a larger vessel overtakes a smaller one at speed, he added. Manpok sank quickly with all hands on board, except two crewmen who were thrown overboard by the impact and rescued by Hyundai Duke.

14 February 2000 – Valetta, Malta

M passenger vessel Espresso Catania (14,398gt, built 1993) in collision with mv Zafir (4,313gt, built 1983). Zafir, "14" people on board, patrol rescue vessels searching in position lat 38 34N, long 16 42E. One person rescued, one person dead and others still missing.

14 February 2000 – Mv Espresso Catania and mv Zafir were in collision early this morning outside Punta Stilo, between Crotone and Reggio Calabria. Zafir subsequently sank, and a search is presently under way for survivors. Espresso Catania is beached at Guardavalle, south of Crotone.

Two seafarers have now been confirmed dead and 11 are still missing following the collision. Zafir is reported to have sunk quickly, shortly after midnight, about seven miles from the coast of Calabria, Italy. One Portuguese crew member was rescued by the ferry. Despite the efforts of helicopters, coastguard speed-boats, three merchant vessels and three fishing vessels, no one else was saved and officials said there was little chance of anyone remaining alive in the cold Mediterranean waters. The cause of the collision is not yet known. Espresso Catania was carrying car parts from Ravenna to Catania. She has a leak on her starboard side and has run aground.

Officials said the chances of surviving the night in the cold water were slim. Rome port authority spokesman, Remigio Ruggiero, said: "The vessel sank very quickly shortly after midnight" and the cause of the collision was not immediately known. Weather conditions were fine at the time of the accident. Calabrian coast guards found an empty inflatable liferaft from Zafir near the site of the collision, a Rome port authority statement said. Two helicopters, four coast guard speed boats, three merchant vessels and three fishing vessels were searching for survivors in clear weather today, Ruggiero said. Espresso Catania, which left Ravenna port on February 12 and was taking 4,000 tons of car parts to Catania, has reported a leak on her starboard side and has run aground at Guardavalle, officials said. Zafir, which was carrying 6,000 tons of clinker, had set off from Corigliano Calabro yesterday en route to Marina di Carrara, Rome port authority officials said.

15 February 2000 – A total of 13 Spanish seafarers are feared dead after mv Zafir sank off southern Italy yesterday, following a collision with ro-ro m cargo/passenger vessel Espresso Catania. Only one member of the 14 crew of Zafir, which sank in 140m of water, was rescued after the collision. Weather conditions were said to be excellent at the time of the casualty, with a flat sea and good visibility. Three bodies were recovered by late yesterday, but Coast Guard officials said there was little hope of finding other survivors among the ten still missing. The dead included the Zafir master. No casualties were reported among the 20 crew and two passengers on the Espresso Catania. However, the vessel reported a wide gash and leak on the right side of her bow. She was voluntarily grounded in a sandbank about half a nautical mile off the coast, as her master feared she could sink. The two vessels were sailing southbound at about one mile distance on parallel routes, with the Espresso Catania travelling faster that the Zafir.

15 February 2000 – London, UK

A full public inquiry into the sinking of the River Thames cruiser Marchioness on the River Thames 11 years ago was announced by the UK Government last night, along with a promised action plan to improve maritime safety. In a statement to the House of Commons, deputy prime minister John’Prescott gave the long-awaited go-ahead to an official investigation, as recommended by Lord Justice Clarke in a report on Thames safety. The judicial inquiry, demanded by families of the 51 victims and the 80 survivors of the disaster, will investigate all aspects of the incident in which the cruiser sank after colliding with m dredger/sand carrier Bowbelle in August 1989. Mr Prescott also promised to pursue other Clarke recommendations.