Government responds to Coroner's verdict on death inquest for vessel collision incident near Lamma Island in 2012
The Coroner's Court today (January 22) finished reading the verdict on the cause of death of the passengers involved in the vessel collision incident near Lamma Island in 2012.
A Government spokesman said the Government respects the judgment of the Coroner's Court and would study the verdict carefully with serious follow-up. At the same time, the Government expresses its deepest condolences to the families. After the incident, the Government conducted two investigations, including the one conducted by the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) established in accordance with the Commission of Inquiry Ordinance and the internal investigation led by then-Transport and Housing Bureau (then-THB); and accepted the expert reports under various investigations.
The Transport and Logistics Bureau has all along been supervising the Marine Department (MD) in following up on the recommendations of the CoI and the experts, and in adopting a systemic approach for fully implementing five categories of measures to enhance marine safety and prevent the recurrence of similar incidents. Relevant measures include -
- Enhancing safety standards onboard: including requiring all passenger vessels' watertight doors to be fitted with visual and audio alarms; specifying the requirements of watertight door warning markings; improving the labelling and placement of life jackets; and establishing standards for securing seats to the deck;
- Improving plan approval and vessel survey standards: including the creation of a dedicated team for plan approval for local vessels; introduction of standardised procedures for vessel surveys and plan approvals; introduction of the tripartite Inspection and Test Plan Scheme (ITP) for high-risk vessels by requiring the shipyard, shipowner and the MD to reach a consensus on important test items and acceptance criteria to clarify any misunderstanding or ambiguity regarding design and regulatory requirements, thus ensuring a vessel's watertight integrity and compliance with regulatory and contractual requirements;
- Promoting operational safety within the industry: including the introduction of the common life jacket for use by adults and children; the enactment of the Marine Safety (Alcohol and Drugs) Ordinance to regulate drink and drug boating; and the mandate of lookout arrangements onboard vessels;
- Strengthening industry professionalism and promoting safety culture: including the introduction of the Fast Speed Passenger Vessel Endorsement regime to enhance coxswains' and engine operators' navigational skills and ability to handle emergency situations, as well as the introduction of the Local Safety Management System; and
- Introducing systemic reform of the MD's management and regulatory regime: including strengthening professional development of MD officers; launching of the electronic vessel survey system and introducing the use of electronic certificates to enhance work efficiency and quality.
Please refer to the Annex for details of the relevant measures.
As for the responsibilities of the MD officers involved, the then-THB forwarded the internal investigation report (THB Report) to the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) for follow-up, and the CSB has, in accordance with the recommendations in the THB Report and the legal advice from the Department of Justice, took actions according to the disciplinary procedures and finished following up on the relevant cases. There were also two MD officers involved who were criminally prosecuted and sentenced to imprisonment.
As regards the recommendations of the Coroner for the MD, including (1) to continue regular engagement with shipbuilders, marine transport service operators and relevant professional bodies or issue simple guidance notes or clarification to ensure that they understand the application of relevant rules and regulations; (2) to implement a new declaration system requiring vessel owners, before each periodical survey, to confirm whether any alterations have been made since the previous survey; (3) to continue to review the working hours and rest arrangements of seafarers, with a focus on identifying fatigue risks in day-to-day operations, and with major ferry operators consulted in the process and the Local Vessels Advisory Committee used as a forum for relevant discussions; and (4) to disseminate to the trade information on the recommendations the Coroner gave to Cheoy Lee Shipyards, the MD will seriously study them and follow up. In respect of the first recommendation, the MD has been stepping up communication with the industry and implemented the Local Safety Management system, with the adoption of a proactive risk management approach to enhance communication with the industry on marine safety issues. For the second recommendation, the MD is actively preparing for the introduction of a requirement under the existing ship inspection system that shipowners must declare that there were no unauthorised alterations of the vessels concerned prior to a survey. In respect of the third recommendation, the Government will review the working environment and conditions of local seafarers and will thoroughly consult relevant stakeholders. For the fourth recommendation, the MD will communicate with other shipyards in respect of the relevant issue.
The spokesman expressed that the Government will continue to work hand-in-hand with the industry to strengthen marine safety together.
The vessel collision incident near Lamma Island in 2012, Photo source: reference image
