Marine

Citation

(2002), "Marine", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 11 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2002.07311eac.001

Marine

Marine

11 January 2002 – Abu el-Fawares (Egypt)

A large fishing vessel sank off the Red Sea coast today and 40 crew members were missing, police said. Fishing Abu el-Fawares sank about 20 miles from Ras Gharib, south of the Suez Canal, in the oil-rich area of Ras Abu Bakr, police said. It was not immediately clear what caused the vessel to sink. The Egyptian-registered vessel had been fishing in the Red Sea waters for a few days and did not send any distress signals, police said. An employee from the Egyptian General Petroleum Corp. in Ras Gharib who monitors radio traffic at sea said the vessel probably struck a coral reef. Strong wind and bad weather might have swayed the vessel, he said on condition of anonymity. Two crew members were rescued by another fishing boat and taken to the EGPC hospital near Ras Gharib, police said. The Egyptian navy was searching for 40 other missing crew members with the help of aircraft belonging to oil companies based in Ras Gharib, about 165 miles south-east of Cairo.

12 January 2002 – Rescue workers have recovered the bodies of 15 fishermen who drowned after fishing Abu el-Fawares capsized and sank in the Gulf of Suez on Friday (11 January). The Egyptian navy is still searching for another 25 men, but continuing high winds and waves are hampering recovery efforts. The bodies were found drifting close to the coast, off the town of Ras Gharib. Two more of the 42-strong crew are said to have survived and are being questioned by police who have launched an investigation. Egypt's Middle East News Agency said the sinking was caused by a 10m high wave, which caught the vessel while most of the crew were asleep below deck. The vessel had been fishing in the area, between Egypt's east coast and the Sinai peninsula, for a few days and did not send any distress signals. Strong winds have been disrupting air and sea travel in Egypt and forced ports to close all week.

11 January 2002 – Express Samina (Greece)

With the official inquiry still continuing into the September 2000 loss with 80 lives of passenger ro/ro Express Samina, investigating judge Nikos Karadimitriou has issued indictments against 25 persons including members of the vessel's crew, managers of her owner Minoan Flying Dolphins (since renamed Hellas Flying Dolphins), and Coast Guard and Merchant Marine ministry officials. After divers and experts working with Karadimitriou had on 28 December examined Naias II, a sister ship to Express Samina, it was revealed that the ferry's captain Vassilis Yiannakis and her chief officer Anastasios Fsychogios, would face additional charges, including in the master's case his alleged failure to ensure the crew were properly trained in emergency response procedures. The two men have been held in prison on Chios island since the loss of the vessel off Faros. Those close to the investigation say the vessel sank so quickly after gashing her hull on the rocky Fortes islet because watertight doors between the vessel's 11 sections had not been closed, a job for which the crew was responsible. The vessel's electrical system is also said to have failed.

23 January 2002 – A magistrate's report into the passenger ro/ro Express Samina ferry disaster has blamed the crew's failure to sound the alarm as one factor contributing to the deaths of dozens of passengers. In a damning document, published today by Greek daily To Vima, presiding magistrate Nikos Karadimitriou listed a catalogue of incompetence and errors that led to the tragedy. Mr Karadimitriou revealed that "12 precious minutes were lost" after the vessel collided with rocks before the crew began to evacuate passengers – and even then no alarm was sounded. Within 45 minutes the ferry had sunk completely. In the absence of routine emergency procedures, passengers were left to fend for themselves and a "state of panic" ensued. The magistrate pointed to a total of six fatal errors including the failure to close the bow doors and the poor condition of lifejackets and life rafts, some of which were more than 30 years old. The document appears to vindicate the emergency services whose search and rescue mission was made doubly difficult by incorrect information from the crew and the speed with which the vessel went under. "The main responsibility for the sinking of the Express Samina falls on those responsible for her exact position and course – the captain and first mate and the rest of the crew," it says.

31 January 2002 – The captain of passenger ro/ro Express Samina which sank killing 80 people is set to be released pending his trial, after 16 months in custody. Many Britons were among those rescued when the vessel sank with more than 500 people on board in September 2000. The ferry hit rocks near the holiday island of Paros in the Aegean Sea, and left hundreds struggling for survival in the water. Captain Vassilis Yiannakis and the ship's first officer, Tassos Psychoyos, were jailed pending trial on homicide charges. The captain's release was approved after a judicial review which determined he was not considered to be at risk of fleeing. Psychoyos remains in jail, but is expected to be released in March. No trial date has been set for either of the two.

6 February 2002 – After 16 months in a prison on the island of Chios, the master of the ill-fated Greek passenger ro/ro Express Samina sinking in September 2000 has been released on bail. Under the decision, which came just two months before the maximum pre-trial detention limit of 18 months, Captain Vassilios Yiannakis has been ordered to pay a bond of Dr6m ($15,228). Reportedly, investigating magistrate Nikos Karadimitriou said there was no cause to believe the master would attempt to jump bail or repeat his alleged crime. Capt Yiannakis was jailed on charges of multiple homicide "with malice aforethought" in the immediate wake of the ferry disaster in which 80 passengers and crew died. The vessel's first officer, Anastassios Psychoyios, has also been languishing in prison on similar charges, although there has so far been no word of him winning bail. Both men have denied the charges and gave testimony to the magistrate last month when additional misdemeanour charges were added to the indictments. A third officer on board the doomed ferry, George Triantafyllos, has also now been charged on counts of homicide, endangerment and violating safety laws. Altogether, indictments have been issued against 25 individuals, including shipping company executives of Minoan Flying Dolphins, coastguard officials and crew members. Mr Karadimitriou's report attaches the chief responsibility for the sinking to the crew who were responsible for the vessel's course, which ultimately led to her ploughing into rocks off the island of Paros. Since the accident, the Greek government has reorganised its vessel inspectorate and introduced new legislation which, among other measures, will cut the maximum age of Greek flag ferries to 30 years.

10 March 2002 – Two senior shipping company officials were served with criminal charges late today over the passenger ro/ro Express Samina disaster in 2000 that killed 80 people, state-run media said. The former chairman and legal adviser of the company that operated the Express Samina were charged with exposing people to danger through failure to provide the vessel with adequate life-saving equipment. Constantine Klironomos and Nikolaos Vikatos were also charged with several other lesser offences. The two men are due to appear Tuesday (12 March) before a public prosecutor heading the disaster investigation. The Express Samina sank with more than 500 people on board in September 2000 after striking rocks just off the Greek holiday island of Paros in the Aegean Sea. Survivors complained of severe shortages in safety equipment, including life-jackets filled with rotting pieces of wood. In the wake of the disaster, the ferry's captain and first engineer were charged with homicide. The captain has since been released from prison on bail, pending trial.

22 March 2002 – An official investigation into the sinking of passenger ro/ro Express Samina, which claimed 80 lives, has blamed senior crew members. The vessel's first mate is singled out for allegedly leaving the bridge and radar monitor unattended for 25 minutes. The master and first engineer are criticised for allegedly abandoning the vessel while passengers were still on board. The report by Special Investigating Magistrate Nikos Karadimitriou will now go to the Aegean Appeals Council to determine if the First Mate Anastassios Psychogios, Captain Vassilis Yiannakis and First Engineer Gerasimos Skiadaresis will face trial, reports the Kathimerini newspaper. Two senior shipping company officials are also facing criminal charges over the disaster. Constantine Klironomos and Nikolaos Vikatos are charged with exposing people to danger through failure to provide the vessel with adequate life-saving equipment. Klironomos is the former chairman and Vikatos the legal adviser of the company that operated the Express Samina ferry.

23 January 2002 – Kursk (Russia)

The Russian authorities have acknowledged for the first time that the sinking of the nuclear submarine Kursk was not caused by a collision with a foreign vessel. Shortly after the Kursk exploded and sank in August 2000, the Russian Navy put forward the theory that the explosion of a torpedo on board may have been brought about by the Kursk being struck by a foreign submarine. It is hoped the cause of the tragedy will be revealed fully this year, but the Deputy Prime Minister, Ilya Klebanov, who has led the investigation from the start, has now said that experts who have examined the wreck of the Kursk have ruled this out. In an interview with the Russian news agency, Interfax, Mr Klebanov said that an examination of fragments of the hull showed that no collision took place. The damaged nose remains on the sea bed, and may not be recovered until later this year.

25 January 2002 – Investigators are making progress in their search through the wreckage of nuclear submarine Kursk and have pulled out another body, a Russian military prosecutor said today. A total of 94 bodies have been recovered from the submarine, which exploded and sank in the Barents Sea in August 2000, killing all 118 men on board. A total of 12 bodies were recovered during an underwater operation soon after the accident, while the rest have been pulled out since the vessel was towed to a dry dock in October. Prosecutors have yet to determine whether the disaster was caused by an internal torpedo malfunction or a collision with a foreign object. The vessel's bow, where the torpedoes were contained and which is thought to hold the most clues, was left on the bottom of the sea when the Kursk was lifted. Officials have said they could raise it later this year.

7 February 2002 – Investigators have given up hope of finding any more bodies inside the wreck of the nuclear submarine Kursk, after retrieving bodies of 94 of the 118 men aboard, a top military prosecutor said today. The efforts to find more bodies have been exhausted, but work is continuing on cleaning up the third compartment of the submarine, Col. Vladimir Mulov, military prosecutor for the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet, was quoted by the ITAR-Tass news agency as saying. A total of 90 of the sailors have been identified and delivered to their relatives for burial. Most of the bodies have been recovered since the Kursk was raised from the Barents Sea floor to dry dock last October. A total of 12 were retrieved during an underwater operation shortly after the August 2000 explosions that destroyed the Kursk. Investigators have also found 200 fragments of bodies, but are unlikely to be able to identify them, the daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported today. Viktor Shein, head of the investigations department of the main military prosecutor's office, told the newspaper that investigators believe some men aboard the Kursk "remained alive no less than eight hours after the explosion." Previously, officials had said no one was alive more than a few hours after the blasts. Russia's navy was severely criticized for its handling of the disaster. It was not announced until two days after the submarine sank, and Russian rescue crews failed for a week to reach the submarine. Foreign divers were then allowed to try, and they opened the hatch and announced the crew long dead. Investigators said that seven out of the Kursk's 22 Granit cruise missiles are still inside the submarine along with fragments of unexploded torpedoes, Nezavisimaya Gazeta said. The months of study of the Kursk in the northern port of Severomorsk has also produced two intact log books and a hydroacoustic recording, the newspaper said. Investigators have been looking for clues to the disaster's cause. Officials have said that an explosion of a practice torpedo, which set off combat weapons in the bow, caused the sinking. However, they have not yet determined whether the initial blast was caused by a flaw in the torpedo or a collision with another vessel, possibly a Western submarine. Shein said investigators had not found signs of an outside impact on the submarine, but said "there are nonetheless people who point to indirect circumstances" that suggest a collision is still being considered as a possible cause of the accident.

18 February 2002 – Russia's navy chief has given the firmest indication yet that an explosion of one of the torpedoes on board the Kursk destroyed the nuclear submarine, killing all 118 men on board. Russian navy chief Vladimir Kuroyedov told reporters that preliminary findings showed that the fuel used for the Kursk torpedoes was too volatile, sparking the initial fire that sank Russia's most modern submarine on 12 August, 2000. "The confidence of scientists, constructors and the navy leadership in the fuel which was used in the torpedoes was not justified", said Kuroyedov. He added that the torpedoes on board the Kursk had first been developed in 1957 and were due to be imminently replaced. "This type of torpedo was already decommissioned, we were planning to get rid of them and looking to get them replaced", Kuroyedov said. His comments suggest that Russia has now conceded that the Kursk did not sink following a collision with a NATO vessel, or was destroyed by a Second World War mine left behind in the Barents Sea. However, the Russian government is yet to report its final findings on the disaster, which highlighted the state of disrepair of the country's once-mighty military force.

26 April 2002 – Russian naval officials plunged the nuclear submarine Kursk back into the water today, to move it from a dry dock where investigators studied its mangled insides to a plant for dismantling. In the first stage of the moving process, the 18,000-ton Kursk was lowered back into the water at the Arctic port at Roslyakovo, where it has been dry-docked since it was raised from the Barents Sea floor last autumn, navy spokesman Igor Dygalo said. The Kursk will be manoeuvred to a floating dock waiting in the waters nearby, and then the whole construction will be towed by barge to the Nerpa ship repair plant, Dygalo said. He said the process would take about one full day. Once at Nerpa, the Kursk's two nuclear reactors and cruise missiles will be removed, and the rest of the metal scrapped. One of Russia's most advanced submarines, the Kursk suffered explosions and sank in August 2000, killing all 118 men aboard. The bulk of the Kursk was raised in a costly international operation last fall so that investigators could retrieve bodies and look for clues to what caused the disaster. All but four of the bodies were pulled out. Investigators said earlier this year that they had completed the probe but failed to reach a final conclusion, and naval officials approved the Kursk's removal to the dismantling plant. The submarine's badly damaged bow remains on the sea floor, and the Russian Navy has said it plans to send divers to retrieve fragments of the bow this summer, hoping they will provide more clues about the accident.

23 January 2002 – Torm Alexandra (Malta)

The managing director of the National Port Authority has disclosed that the owners of the sinking general cargo Torm Alexandra have expressed fears in coming to Liberia to hold further talks concerning the disaster. Mr Alphonso Gaye told reporters over the weekend that the owners of the vessel said they fear being arrested upon their arrival in the country. Although Mr Gaye did not say why the owners of the wrecked vessel had entertained such fears, it can be recalled that following the disaster, the master of the vessel and the chief mate abandoned the vessel and left the country under unclear circumstances, while investigations were said to be ongoing. However, the port director said the owners of the vessel, Torm Line, had suggested that further discussion be held out of Liberia. But he indicated that Torm Line has been assured to come to Liberia without any problems, saying "Because of the UN travel ban on us, we have informed them to come to Liberia". Although Mr Gaye did not say how much progress has been made, he told reporters that the port's action for redress has taken a positive direction and that they expect a resolution soon. He said lawyers of the Bureau of Maritime in Europe, America and Liberia are handling the disaster case. Torm Alexandra last July experienced an instability problem and capsized while being off loaded at the Freeport of Monrovia. More than 50 large containers, most of which were about 40-foot each, were on board the vessel including some unspecified hazardous materials. The disaster caused oil spills along the harbour, and has not been salvaged. No one has accepted responsibility for the disaster, neither has any investigation publicly revealed who should be held liable for the incident. Meanwhile, the port management has also disclosed that at least 30 persons have died on the sinking vessel and indicated the possibility that a number of other dead bodies could be in the hatch of the wrecked vessel. He said some of the victims had forcibly entered the wreckage and sucked in contaminated water, which may have resulted in their deaths. Mr Gaye said looters swam about two miles to the sinking vessel during the evening hours to break into containers.

4 February 2002 – Sugar Diane-Z

The Navy rescued nine passengers of sunken wooden-hulled cargo vessel Sugar Diane-Z yesterday morning after they drifted for days in the Sulu Sea, officials said, adding that search and rescue operations were continuing for dozens of others. The survivors were among some 70 people who went missing when the vessel sank 28 January, off Pangutaran Island, 50 nautical miles north-west of Sulu, when her engine failed amid rough weather. Navy Lt. Rolito Rodriguez, operations chief of the Naval Forces South, said the survivors were fished out of the sea before noon yesterday and immediately rushed to a hospital in nearby Bongao island. He said the Navy has widened its search for more survivors, even as they have yet to determine if there are females or minors among the rescued. He said reports they received was that only 13 people were listed in Sugar Diane-Z's manifest, but the Armed Forces Southern Command indicated there were 70 people who boarded the ferry in Tawi-Tawi bound for Zamboanga City with her cargo of copra. The excess passengers did not bother to register in the ship's manifest. The vessel was carrying 700 sacks of copra, when her engine sputtered and giant waves lashed her hull.

27 February 2002 – Kristal (Malta)

Relatives of Spanish seafarers lost in the tank Kristal tragedy have spoken of their anguish at the continued lack of information about what happened at sea that fateful day last year. A total of 12 months to the day after the casualty, grieving families are still none the wiser as to why the 25-year-old tanker broke in two in heavy seas off the coast of La Corunna. Additionally, most of the families of the deceased have yet to receive compensation from the ship owner's insurers. They are bitter that, one year on, they have not even had condolences from the vessel's operator, IC Shipping of Monaco. A total of 11 men, two from Spain, eight from Pakistan and one from Croatia died in the accident. "We don't even know who the operator is, only that he's based in Monaco", said Javier Infante Casas, whose brother died in the casualty. "We want some acceptance of responsibility". Some of the relatives, backed by the International Transport Workers Federation, are now considering legal action for negligence against IC Shipping. The ITF claims that the vessel was in poor condition and that there were problems with life-saving equipment. But IC Shipping has dismissed the allegations as unfounded and said that investigators had established that the facts of the loss point to less controversial conclusions. There is no indication from classification society Rina that there was anything physically wrong with the 1974-built vessel. Tests carried out in La Corunna by Spanish authorities suggest that incorrect loading, coupled with adverse weather conditions and the way the vessel was handled, contributed significantly to the casualty. But flag state Malta has yet to conclude its official report into the casualty and, for the moment, none of these conclusions has been publicly confirmed.

16 March 2002 – Arosa (UK)

Naval Service divers have recovered human remains in north Galway Bay, close to the wreck of fishing Arosa on which 12 crew lost their lives late last year. The remains were taken ashore at Rossaveal, Co. Galway, last night for examination. A search of the area off the Skerd rocks will continue today. Six bodies are still missing from the wreck of the British registered Arosa, which ran on to the rocks while running for shelter in a southerly gale on 3 October. Only one of the 13 crew members survived. Naval divers had searched the area immediately after the accident, but the weather deteriorated and winter set in. The wreck is in 24 metres of water and is strewn over the sea bottom, a Naval Service spokesman said yesterday. The diving team will carry out a systematic search while weather permits. The Naval Service patrol vessel, LE Aisling, is providing support for the divers.

18 March 2002 – Ehime Maru (Japan)

The US Navy has agreed to pay damages to a local government over the sinking of fishing Ehime Maru by attack submarine Greeneville last year, an official said today. A total of 9 of 35 students, teachers and crew on board the Ehime Maru died when the Greeneville surfaced beneath the trawler on 9 February 2001, off Hawaii. Officials from the Ehime state government, the vessel's owner, and the Navy, have held negotiations seven times since May and both sides recently reached settlement, said state spokesman Hirofumi Nomura. Nomura said the Navy agreed to pay the Ehime government $10 million in compensation, including the cost of building a new fisheries training vessel. Separate compensation talks are still going on between the Navy and families of the victims.

30 March 2002 – Artic Rose (USA)

A Coast Guard board of inquiry report into the sinking of fishing Arctic Rose, an accident that claimed the lives of all 15 crewmen, will not be ready for an additional three months. The inquiry board, headed by Captain Ronald Morris with the Coast Guard's Marine Safety Division in New Orleans, was expected to complete its report Monday (1 April). But yesterday, Morris said a three-month extension was needed to analyse the data that had been collected. "We just couldn't make the deadline", Morris said. "We're still conducting analysis". The Arctic Rose sank on 2 April 2001, in the Bering Sea. Only one body, that of skipper David Rundall, was recovered. The 92-foot fishing trawler was later found in 428 feet of water. There were no witnesses to the worst fishing disaster in Alaskan waters in 20 years. The Coast Guard Marine Board of Inquiry has held several hearings, in both Seattle and Alaska, to gather testimony about the accident from former crew members, people who did work on the vessel, marine experts and even the vessel's owner, David Olney. Morris said no new testimony has been taken since the last hearings, in November. But board members have met with a marine architect who is helping to come up with models demonstrating the stability of the vessel. The report from the board's examination into the accident is now expected to be submitted to Coast Guard headquarters for approval no later than 1 July. Morris said he hopes to have it finished well before then and is aware that relatives of the men lost at sea are waiting to hear the conclusions of the inquiry.

11 April 2002 – Maria Carmela (Philippines)

Ferry Maria Carmela, 680.24 tons, owned by Montenegro Shipping Lines caught fire at about 07.20, local time, today off the coast of Pagbilao, Quezon killing at least ten people. The vessel sailed Masbate en route to Lucena, Quezon, carrying 240 passengers and copra. Reports have it that fire may have been caused by the copra cargo.

Passengers jumped into the sea after fire broke out on ferry Maria Carmela carrying at least 290 people in the central Philippines today. At least 23 people died and 70 others were injured, officials said. Another 32 people were still missing more than six hours after Maria Carmela radioed for help some 11 nautical miles from Lucena, the Coast Guard said. Lt Cmdr Elpidio Gunio, Coast Guard chief in Lucena, said some of the victims drowned and others suffocated on board the ferry. It was about an hour from finishing the 12-hour trip from Masbate island to Lucena when the fire broke out in the cargo hold around 07.00 hrs. Eugene Aguilar, a spokesman for Montenegro Shipping Lines Inc., the vessel's owner, said that 23 people died. The ferry had a crew of 47 and a manifest showing 243 passengers, but there may have been more people on board, he said. Aerial television footage showed the badly burned ferry listing as flames flickered from its windows and smoke poured out from a load of dried coconut that caught fire. Trailing an oil slick, it was towed by its sister-ship Maria Teresa, out of the main shipping lanes to allow the fire to burn out before it was to be taken to Lucena. Quezon Memorial Hospital in Lucena City reported it received 70 people with various injuries. The vessel was designed to carry about 326 passengers plus vehicles. Aguilar said the vessel had not been overloaded.

11 April 2002 – At least 23 passengers, many of them children, where killed when Philippine inter-island passenger/cargo ferry Maria Carmela caught fire at dawn today off Pagbilao Chico Island. The ferry had left Masbate carrying 243 passengers and 47 crew bound for Lucena City when a fire started in its cargo deck at 07.20 hrs. The fire quickly spread from the cargo hold which was carrying 12 trucks filled with dried copra to the passenger decks. Many passengers were trapped in their cabins while other passengers drowned after jumping into the sea. Responding Philippine Coast Guard and Navy vessels as well as passing ships rescued about 182 passengers who were brought to Lucena City. A total of 75 passengers suffering from burns, lacerations and broken limbs were brought to various hospitals in the city. The Coast Guard said that they were still conducting search and rescue operations for the 85 missing passengers. The Coast Guard added that they were able to put the fire under control towards noon. The still smouldering vessel was later towed to Dalahican Port in Lucena City where it is now anchored.

12 April 2002 – Official investigators in the Philippines are looking into the possibility that a burning cigarette end started yesterday's fire on ferry Maria Carmela which killed at least 28 people. Some 244 passengers and crew were rescued but at least 11 others remain unaccounted for. Coast Guard officials said many of those killed drowned when they jumped off the vessel. Investigators are concentrating on a cargo of dried coconut that was stored on the vehicle deck. One survivor said he saw a man throw a burning cigarette end into the coconut load. In addition to looking at the cargo and whether it was safely stowed, investigators will be considering the conduct of the crew. Surviving passengers complained that the crew abandoned them as the fire quickly spread. Passengers reportedly fought over life-jackets, though the ship's owners said enough were on board. Coast Guard officials said their vessels were also scouring the seas in the hope of finding missing passengers. Manila radio station DZMM quoted survivors as saying that the fire began with an explosion in the cargo hold and tore through the ship within ten minutes.

12 April 2002 – The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) today barred the rest of the fleet of Montenegro Shipping Lines from putting out to sea pending an investigation into the deadly fire of one of its ferries, Maria Carmela, said Marina official Oscar de Villa. The government regulators will look into reports that Maria Carmela did not have enough lifejackets and life boats to assure the safety of passengers. They would also look into other possible violations of shipping codes. As of this morning, 28 out of at least 280 people on board the vessel perished. The investigators were not immediately able to board the vessel, which is still on fire off Lucena since yesterday, said Lieutenant Commander Elpidio Gunio, the district coast guard chief. "No one has been able to board the ship because of the heat", Lucena Mayor Ramon Talaga told local radio. Philippines coastguard chief Vice-Admiral Ruben Lista told dzBB radio that the temporary suspension would give way to "regimen examination" on Montenegro vessels' capabilities during emergency situations. Eugene Aguilar, a spokesperson for the Montenegro, denied that the firm violated any shipping regulations even as he assured that the company would cooperate in the investigation by the interagency body composed of the Coast Guard, Marina and representatives of the private shipping sector. Aguilar also vowed the Montenegro firm would shoulder burial and medical expenses of the victims.

12 April 2002 – The Philippine Coast Guard convened today a formal Board of Marine Inquiry in Lucena City in southern Luzon to determine the cause of a fire on board ferry Maria Carmela which killed scores of passengers yesterday. The Coast Guard also ordered Montenegro Shipping Lines, owners and operators of the vessel, to submit a Marine Protest report. This is a full account of the accident which has to be filed by the master of the vessel. The vessel caught fire as it neared port 16.5km off Lucena in Quezon Province yesterday morning. As of this afternoon, the death count stood at 28. More than 200 people were rescued but dozens are still believed missing at sea. The Coast Guard said that the passenger/cargo ferry was well within its authorised capacity of 334 passengers. The vessel was also carrying 12 trucks filled with dried copra on its cargo deck.

14 April 2002 – Philippine Coast Guard tugs towed yesterday the still smoking hulk of ferry Maria Carmela back to Lucena harbour. The vessel was towed to Lucena harbour after its fires died down but it drifted towards Batangas Bay after its anchor broke. The Coast Guard said that the vessel could not be towed back immediately because fires had resumed within the vessel after strong winds fanned the flames. Officials are waiting for the fire to subside before they can board the vessel to search for remains of missing passengers and crew and to look for clues to determine what caused the fire. Apart from 243 passengers and 47 crew, the vessel was carrying 12 trucks filled with dried copra on its cargo deck. Investigators theorise that the copra served as fuel for the fire. It is suspected that the fire was either started by a discarded cigarette butt, a cooking fire or a spark triggered by the running engine of one of the trucks.

17 April 2002 – Divers hunting for bodies inside ferry Maria Carmela prepared to wrap up their search today as the confirmed death toll rose to at least 44, officials said. Four people were still listed as missing. A total of 11 divers, including one from the Japanese Coast Guard, have been searching through the wreckage since Sunday (14 April), when the still-smoldering ferry sank. They have found remains of 18 burned bodies, adding to 26 fatalities confirmed earlier. At least 330 passengers and crew were on board. The officer in charge of the divers said that they had recommended ending the operation. "I think today would be the final search because it is already negative", said Ensign Raul Belesario. "We have searched every part of the ship and we cannot find anything more". No cause of the fire, which was believed to have started on a lower deck for vehicles and cargo, has been determined.

15 April 2002 – The families of about two dozen passengers still missing from ferry Maria Carmela, that caught fire last week, are still hoping that their loved ones are still alive. So far, the body count remained at 28. Yesterday, the burned out hulk of the Maria Carmela finally sank off the port of Lucena City in Quezon. There were no immediate reports of bodies found on board the vessel. Authorities hope that the missing had been picked up at sea by passing vessels as the area is a busy shipping lane and fishing area. Capt. Alejandro Flora Jr, Coast Guard Southern Tagalog district commander, said the Maria Carmela sank at around 12.55 after fire-fighters tried to put out stubborn oil fires on board the vessel. Fire-fighting operations began at 01.00 yesterday and stopped two hours later for a water refill. Armed with chemicals used for fighting oil fires, the fire-fighters returned at around 09.20, with additional fire-trucks on board the vessel Sophia, owned by Montenegro Shipping Lines, which operated the Maria Carmela. However, at around 12.55, the Maria Carmela listed to its starboard side and finally went to the bottom in 60 feet of water. Flora then dispatched divers from Batangas and Manila to search the wreck for possible evidence needed in the special board of marine inquiry investigation into the blaze. He also ordered the divers to mark the site of the Maria Carmela's watery grave so vessels can avoid the area. An initial Coast Guard investigation indicated that the Maria Carmela, authorized to carry 334, was overloaded and 81 people were not listed in the manifest because they were non-paying passengers. Over 200 people were rescued as fire swept across the vessel on 11 April. Many jumped overboard without putting on life-jackets. Montenegro had denied that it violated maritime regulations, citing its 35-year safety record. Investigators are looking into survivors' accounts that the fire started in the vessel's hold. The Maria Carmela, which set sail from Masbate Wednesday last week, carried a number of trucks packed with dried coconut meat and live cattle. It caught fire around 07.30 the following day near Pagbilao Chica island, about an hour away from Lucena City, its destination.

16 April 2002 – Philippine Coast Guard divers found the remains of seven people in the sunken wreckage of ferry Maria Carmela which sank Sunday (14 April) in Lucena harbour even as the officials fended off accusations from surviving passengers that the vessel was deliberately sunk to mislead investigators and conceal evidence against the vessel owners. The ferry caught fire Thursday (11 April) as it approached Lucena Harbour killing at least 28 passengers. The fire on the vessel continued to blaze until Sunday. "The vessel has been subjected to intense heat for 77 hours, causing its steel structure to melt", Coast Guard commandant Vice-Adm. Reuben Lista said, explaining the sinking of the ferry. On the first day of the fire on Thursday, the superstructure of the ferry had already collapsed, while its steel hull had warped after four days, Lista said. "Seawater seeped in between the warped riveted seams of the vessel's hull and caused the sinking", he added. On Saturday, the fires subsided temporarily, allowing the Coast Guard to tow the vessel 1.2 nautical miles off the Port of Dalahican in Lucena City. Efforts were made to completely douse the fires still raging inside the ship but at around 12.55 Sunday, Maria Carmela listed to its starboard side and finally went to the bottom in 60 feet of water. Divers were immediately dispatched to the site of the sunken vessel to look for bodies of missing passengers. The vessel was carrying 243 passengers and 47 crew. More than 200 people were rescued including the captain but dozens are still believed missing at sea.

17 April 2002 – The Philippine Coast Guard said that it had concluded retrieval operations today for bodies of victims which had been trapped inside ferry Maria Carmela. The Coast Guard said that a total of 18 bodies, most of them burned beyond recognition, had been recovered in three days of diving operations. Most of the bodies were taken from the vessel's first class cabins. The recovery of the bodies brings to 46 the number of people killed in the accident. In a related development, the Philippine transport secretary Pantaleon Alvarez today said he had ordered the Board of Marine Inquiry to speed up its investigations at to the cause of the disaster. "The investigation should be concluded in two-weeks' time instead of 30 days", Mr Alvarez said in a radio interview. Witnesses indicated that the fire began in the ship's cargo section which was holding 12 trucks filled with copra. Investigators theorise that the copra, raw material for coconut oil, served as fuel for the fire. It is suspected that the fire was either started by a discarded cigarette butt, a cooking fire or a spark triggered by the running engine of one of the trucks. Investigators have also not ruled out sabotage.

24 April 2002 – The master of ferry Maria Carmela, which caught fire on 11 April and killed at least 46 passengers, said that the fire was an act of arson. Testifying before a special Board of Marine Inquiry, Captain Godofredo Erandio said the fire could not have been accidental since his vessel had been transporting copra safely between the islands for a long time. When the vessel caught fire off the port of Lucena in southern Luzon, it was carrying 12 trucks filled with dried copra on its cargo deck. Copra, a highly flammable material which is a raw material for vegetable oil, is suspected to be the cause of the blaze, which forced many passengers to jump overboard and eventually drown. During the hearing, Capt Erandio said he believed the fire was deliberately set since the cargo was nowhere close to any fire or electrical sparks. Aside from arson, investigators are looking into reports that the fire was started by a carelessly thrown cigarette butt, a cooking fire or a spark triggered by a vehicle which had its engine running.

12 April 2002 – Ferry capsized in Kilombero River, Tanzania

A total of 22 people were missing and two were confirmed dead today after a ferry capsized on a river in eastern Tanzania, police said. A tug was using a rope to pull the vessel across the Kilombero River yesterday when the rope broke and the ferry tipped over, police spokesman Aden Mwamunyange said. Early reports said nearly 100 people died, but Mwamunyange said today there were only 45 names on the ferry's passenger manifest. The police spokesman said two bodies had been recovered and 21 people had been rescued. He would not say whether police believed the 22 missing people were dead. Mwamunyange said the accident occurred near Ifakara, 155 miles west of Dar es Salaam. Dar es Salaam, 15 April 2002, Tanzanian authorities said today they had pulled 14 bodies out of the Kilombero river since a ferry capsized last week, but efforts to find about 20 more were hampered by weather and inexperienced rescuers. The ferry sank on Thursday (11 April) in the crocodile-infested river in central Tanzania, about 180 miles west of Dar es Salaam. About 21 survivors have been rescued. Kilombero District Commissioner David Holela told Reuters news agency the recovery operation was being complicated by strong currents, winds and heavy rain as well as the inexperience of the local fishermen who were doing the work. "We do not have divers, we are expecting divers from the navy to assist in the recovery later today", he said. Holela said he thought about 20 people were still missing and presumed dead, but exact numbers were unclear. "Some people who survived did not report to the authorities or the hospitals so it is difficult to say exactly how many people were on board", he added. Earlier police reports said the ferry was carrying 45 people and three vehicles.