Hong Kong jails 4 seafarers for 2008 killer ship collision

THE ship collision between Ukrainian tugboat Neftegaz-67 and mainland China's Yaohai bulk carrier off Hong Kong's Lantau Islands, in which 18 crew members aboard Neftegaz-67 were killed has led to two year plus prison terms for four officers.

The ships were steaming towards each other and "expected the other to take evasive action, reported the South China Morning Post. Both turned to the same channel and collided at a combined speed of 23 knots on March 22, 2008.

Judge Susana D'Almada Remedios of the Hong Kong District Court recently handed a 38 month jail sentence to Neftegaz captain Yuriy Kulemesin and sentenced Yaohai's captain Liu Bo and co-pilot Bruce Chun Wah-tak to 28 months of prison each and its pilot Tang Dock to three years of prison.

Said Judge Remedios: "As a result of their dangerous, prolonged and bad navigation, their vessels collided. Because of their deliberate failure to act, they risked the lives of their crew."

The officers were said to have committed "grave navigational errors", "breached International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea" and "failed to take action until too late", " reported the South China Morning Post. The sentence was described as a step of "deterrence" in order "to ensure the safety of lives in Hong Kong waters".

While the crew of the Yaohai were uninjured, 18 Ukrainians aboard Neftegaz lost their lives and seven survived after their ship sank.

Previous owners of the Neftegaz-67 said that the rules, the court found the officers to have violated were in contrast to the ones seen as flouted by the Hong Kong Marine Department.

(Source: www.schednet.com)