Marine

Citation

(2001), "Marine", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 10 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2001.07310aac.001

Marine

Marine

26 February 2000 – Norway

The independent inquiry commission investigating the sinking of m catamaran/passenger ferry Sleipner is understood to have completed passenger interviews and will begin a detailed physical inspection when the fast ferry is brought to the surface. A contract has been signed with a Stavanger-based salvor, and the Sleipner is expected to be raised next month. She currently rests about 100 metres underwater, at the site of the sinking off Norway's west coast. The commission will examine the wreckage in detail once it becomes available for the purpose. The forward three-quarters of the hull is said to be severely damaged. The Sleipner had seven compartments in each hull. Five of these on the starboard side and four on the port side were punctured. Though the Sleipner commission has not made any findings public as yet, the Sleipner's owner Hardanger Sunnhordlandske Dampskipsselskap and the Norwegian Maritime Directorate could be censured for lax procedures. The owner is said to have held no fully-fledged evacuation exercises even after the Sleipner was introduced, while the directorate has come under fire for not having enough nautical expertise. This is said to have resulted in its approving the Sleipner's life-saving procedures with minimal regard to how effective they could prove in a real-life emergency. The inquiry commission is understood to be preparing for an open hearing in Norway shortly.

9 March 2000 – Part of m catamaran/passenger ferry Sleipner came within about ten metres of the surface yesterday, four days after the salvage began, only for the vessel to hit bottom again. Initial delays were due to bad weather and wind conditions, while yesterday's operations were said to have been hampered by the wreckage being too heavily laden with water. The vessel's bow section, representing about 20 percent of the total length, has been retrieved. It was said to have broken off and drifted away when the vessel grounded on a reef on November 26 and sank about 300 metres away from the main wreck. It was lying 100 metres under water with the broken-off side facing down, which made it easier for water to run out as it was raised. The larger stern portion, however, is said to be posing a challenge. The salvors were understood to have raised it to a depth of about 10-15 metres below the surface yesterday morning but found that it was heavy and slowly keeling over. In order not to lose it, the salvage team carefully lowered it back to the seabed. Efforts were in progress by late afternoon to strap the wreck in different ways before attempting to lift it again. Efforts to raise the vessel were expected to continue through yesterday evening and overnight. The unscheduled delay in the lifting operation is believed to be costing salvage firm Stolt Rockwater JV more than was originally budgeted. The contractual price for the operation has been stated as NKrS.9 million (US$703,000).

14 March 2000 – The salvage of m catamaran/passenger ferry Sleipner has been abandoned amid strong criticism of the way it was handled. The inquiry commission, appointed by the Norwegian Ministry of Justice, has requested another salvage attempt. Representatives of the victims who died in the tragedy were also furious at the decision, which was made unilaterally by salvage firm Stolt Rockwater JV. The firm was contracted to complete the job at a cost of NKrS.9 million (US$710,000). The firm has denied a monetary motive behind the cancellation. It was not clear whether the Norwegian Ministry of Justice would challenge payment of the contracted sum. The ministry is mulling its next step even as several other salvage firms have thrown their hats into the ring. The abandoned salvage had been under way since last week when the bow of the Sleipner was among the objects recovered. The damaged stern section was raised to a few metres underwater before being lowered back. Another attempt actually had the section halfway out of the water. It was then felt that raising the section posed danger to cranes and personnel on board the salvage rig. Straps were said to be cutting into the aluminium skin of the wreckage. So it was again lowered, prior to the project being abandoned. Some experts believe positioning a submersible barge under the lifted wreckage would have worked, rather than lowering it again. The inquiry commission has claimed that the wreckage was lifted horizontally and too fast through the water surface, and so had more water pressure than would have been otherwise likely. However, the wreckage was said to show signs of disintegrating completely, which would have meant smaller pieces sinking again to the seabed, rendering underwater inspection even more difficult.

9 March 2000, Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA

The owner of amphibious vessel Miss Majestic, which sank last year and killed 13 people, has been ordered to preserve the vessel for a court case. Federal Magistrate Bobby E. Shepherd granted the order in December at the request of Collie E. Berry of Dyersburg, TN, whose wife, Iana Jo Berry, died when the vessel sank May 1, 1999. Collie Ferry and his son, Kyle, have a lawsuit pending in US District Court at Hot Springs. The Berrys, through their attorneys, said it was "imperative" that the vessel and all her parts and components be preserved as is, so that they could be inspected by experts. Land and Lake Tours Inc., the owners of the vessel, objected, saying that more than 2,500 photographs were taken during investigations into the accident by the US Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board.

20 March 2000, Hong Kong, China

Investigators have blamed human error and stormy seas for the sinking of ferry Dashun that killed 280 people, the official China Daily reported today. A special government panel looking into the November 24 disaster put primary responsibility for the accident on the crew. They badly packed too many goods into the ferry. It added that when a fire broke out, the crew pumped too much water into the cabin, accelerating the vessel's sinking. Bad weather in the Bohai Gulf then hampered efforts to reach the ferry, the report said. Reports of the tragedy crystallised public fears about lax safety and official indifference. Afterwards, Beijing promised to improve safety on passenger vessels. The panel investigating the Dashun sinking also blamed the ferry's owner, the Yanda Group, noting that three of the company's vessels had sunk since 1997, the China Daily said.

23 March 2000, North Atlantic

M bulk carrier Leader L. (38,975 gt, built 1977) reported at 19.15, UTC, taking water in lat. 35.41N, long. 58.11W, requesting immediate assistance. Search and rescue aircraft launched and ETA three hours.

24 March 2000 – Following received from Coast Guard Norfolk, VA, timed 07.15, UTC: M bulk carrier Leader L. sank in lat. 35.43N, long. 58.14W. Of her 31 crew a total of 15 have been recovered, three of whom were deceased. Searches are continuing for the remaining 16 missing crew. Based on information gleaned to date, it is understood that the vessel began taking on water over her holds, which resulted in No. 4 hatch collapsing. This then affected her other holds. Also understood a 15 metre piece of steel plate pierced the side of No. 4 hold. (Note – Leader L. sailed Alexandria on March 4, bound New York and passed through the Straits of Gibraltar on March14).

Following received from the Piraeus operators of m bulk carrier Leader L., timed 08.45, UTC: 12 crew were rescued by a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter and taken to a Canadian frigate. About an hour ago a report was received that three more persons were recovered from the water by a Canadian frigate, of the three two were alive. The vessel had a Greek master and the remainder of crew were Filipinos and Romanians.

Canadian military helicopters plucked survivors from life-rafts and open water last night after m bulk carrier Leader L. with 31 people on board sank in the Atlantic Ocean. At least 12 crew members were hoisted on to two Sea King helicopters as they hovered over heavily rolling seas where Leader L. went down about 700km north of Bermuda. "There are still people alive out there floating around, so that's good news," said Lt Cmdr Glenn Chamberlain, a search-and-rescue spokesman in Halifax. The Sea Kings were from a flotilla of Canadian warships that happened to be sailing south from Halifax for exercises in the Caribbean. The helicopters were headed back to the warship to drop off the survivors, refuel and head back out to search an expanse of ocean littered with life-rafts dropped by two Hercules aircraft, one Canadian, the other American. Chamberlain said most of the life-rafts were empty. It was not known if everyone on the vessel managed to get off before she sank. The fact some crewmen were in the water and not rafts suggests the vessel went down suddenly, even though the crew knew a 15-metre steel hull plate had come loose hours before and water was pouring into a hold. A Hercules from Greenwood, NS, was in radio contact for almost an hour with crewmen on the vessel when she began to sink. The crew reported they were about to take to the water but were not heard from again until after the vessel sank. The Hercules circling overhead reported seeing two lights in the water after the sinking, then heard someone talking by radio from a raft. The vessel was carrying salt to New York from Spain when she ran into trouble. A Canadian naval task group – a destroyer, three frigates and a supply ship – was about 460 kilometres from the stricken carrier when she called for help. Two Sea Kings on the vessels were launched late in the evening. An Aurora patrol aircraft from Greenwood was also en route. The warships left Halifax on Tuesday for exercises off Puerto Rico. They were the closest vessels to Leader L. when the hull plate gave way in heavy waves in the Sargasso Sea, an area known for its usually calm conditions and floating seaweed. M tanker Knock Stocks was also in the vicinity and was diverted to help. The water temperature in the area was about 218C, warm enough to allow a person to survive up to 26 hours, an official said.

LMIS representatives in Piraeus reported today: The Ministry of Merchant Marine advises that at 23.30 yesterday m bulk carrier Leader L. sank because of a fracture due to unknown reasons, while sailing 360 nautical miles north-east of Bermuda with 30 foreign crew members and a Greek master. Leader L. was loaded with 57,000 tons of salt and had departed Alexandria for New York. The wind force in the area is seven (near gale) on the Beaufort Scale.

25 March 2000 – Five seafarers were found dead yesterday and 13 were still missing after m bulk carrier Leader L. suffered structural failure in the north Atlantic and sank. Leader L. sank in international waters between Bermuda and Nova Scotia. Some 13 of the crew were rescued by Canadian Coast Guard helicopters and taken to a Canadian frigate. It was thought that the Leader L. took on water over her holds, resulting in the collapse of No. 4 hatch, which in turn affected other holds. In addition, a 15m piece of steel plate broke off the hull and is believed to have pierced the side of No. 4 hold. Both P&I and hull and machinery cover were placed with J.L. Jones and others at Lloyd's. J.L. Jones said yesterday the vessel had an insured value of around $6 million.

Search and rescue crews are continuing their search for crew members from m bulk carrier Leader L. that sank 370 nautical miles north-east of Bermuda yesterday evening. Canadian Naval Task Group ships have found 13 survivors and five deceased crewmen from Leader L. All are on board Canadian Naval Task Group vessels currently searching. Five CNTG vessels are searching with four deployable helicopters, including the destroyer HMCS Iroquois, three frigates: HMCS Halifax, HMCS Charlotte Town, and HMCS Toronto and the replenishing ship HMCS Preserver. Two Coast Guard C-130 search aircraft from Air Station Elizabeth City, NC, and a Canadian C-130 from Greenwood, Nova Scotia, are also searching. Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Piraeus, notified Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Center Norfolk at 14.10 yesterday that the vessel was taking on water due to a reported 45-foot gash in the starboard side of the hull below the water line. Reports from the survivors indicate the crew had mustered to abandon ship when they heard a large cracking sound and the vessel sank within 45 seconds. Initial reports from the crew indicate Leader L. was en route to New York when she struck a metal object. (Later) After searching 1,100 square nautical miles, the Coast Guard has suspended the search for the 12 missing crew members from Leader L. The survivors and deceased are being transported to Bermuda on board Iroquois and should arrive in Bermuda about 1200 tomorrow.

27 March 2000 – Canadian Coast Guard officials have called off the search for missing crew members of m bulk carrier Leader L. David Lever, a Coast Guard official in Halifax, said "The search has been suspended. It's obvious the others went down with the vessel." A total of 12 crew are still missing. Rescuers believe a life-raft filled with crew members was still attached to the Greek-managed vessel when it was sucked under the water with the rapidly sinking vessel.

28 March 2000 – Structural problems on m bulk carrier Leader L. were apparent as long ago as 1998, maritime industry sources said yesterday. While the claims are supported by documentary evidence, the party in possession of the material is not willing to make details public at present, in case legal action ensues. However, the development will bolster speculation that the casualty resulted from serious structural failure. At present there are conflicting reports on the proximate causes of last Thursday's (March 24) sinking. The master of the 69,120 dwt vessel, operated by Cavo d'Oro Navigation of Piraeus, had given the distress signal several hours before the sinking. At some point, a 45ft steel hull plate came loose, and is variously reported either to have pierced the hull elsewhere, or to have allowed sudden water ingress. Bulk carriers should, by design, be able to cope with flooding in one hold. But in practice, bulkheads are frequently unable to take the strain. According to one of the crew of a Canadian rescue aircraft overhead, the vessel's bow rose into the air at a 45 degree angle before sliding under in 30 seconds. Questions are already being asked in the industry about how a large piece of hull plating could suddenly detach. One factor might be the cargo. At the time of the sinking, the Leader L. was laden with salt, which has a corrosive effect on steel. Vessels carrying it should be treated with lime-wash beforehand. It is not clear whether this had happened in this case. Quality of the steelwork could also be a crucial consideration. The Leader L. was built to American Bureau of Shipping class under the name Nordic Mariner, at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki, in 1977. Both P&I and hull insurance were placed with J.L. Jones and others at Lloyd's at an insured value of $6 million. Industry sources believe this is high for a vessel of this age and type, although J.L. Jones declined to comment. The operator has had difficulties paying its bills on time, with a number of vessels arrested for non-payment in recent years. Creditors have included the Newcastle P&I club. Giannoulis Kambanis, the principal at Cavo d'Oro, was yesterday unavailable for comment. The Leader L. was registered in Panama and classed by Polski Rejestr Stratkow, an associate of the International Association of Classification Societies. Her International Safety Management code safety management certificate was provided by the Panamanian government, and her operator's document of compliance by Bureau Veritas.

28 March 2000 – Thirteen survivors from m bulk carrier Leader L., which sank in the Atlantic, landed on Bermuda on Saturday (March 25), a day after their rescue. Six of their fellow crew members drowned and 12 were never found. The mostly Filipino crew members of the vessel hugged the Canadian sailors who saved them and fought back tears as they walked down the gangplank of the Canadian destroyer Iroquois onto solid ground. The survivors, who were reported to be in good medical condition but exhausted, were in the care of the Salvation Army. They were expected to stay in the British territory for about five days to replace passports to allow them to return home, government spokeswoman Bev Morfitt said. Canadian and US military ended their search for the dozen missing crew members on Friday evening. Six bodies were recovered from the vessel, which sank on Thursday, hours after placing a distress call. The bodies were also taken to Bermuda until they can be returned to the victims' families.

30 March 2000 – Conflicting reports from m bulk carrier Leader L.'s crew and flag authorities emerged yesterday about the structural state of the vessel. Leader L. had no structural deficiencies when inspected by the Panama flag state control authorities last year, according to the merchant fleet director with the Panama Maritime Authority. But crewmen from the Leader L. said they had reported big gaps between frames and plates in the holds long before last week's tragic sailing, according to a source close to the investigation. An annual safety inspection of the Panama-flagged vessel by the authority last August revealed missing instruction manuals but no structural weakness, director Fernando Solorzano told Lloyd's List. The flag authority – the world's largest – has launched its own inquiry into the disaster, in which 18 seafarers died. An authority inspector is in Bermuda interviewing the 13 survivors, Mr Solorzano said. "I don't want to speculate on the cause of this before the report is completed," he continued. "But we have launched an inquiry and hope to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible." The Maritime Authority director named Piraeus-based Leoninos Shipping as the owner of the vessel, which sank in the North Atlantic between Bermuda and Nova Scotia last Thursday (March 23). According to the international office of the Panama Maritime Authority in New York, initial evidence pointed to a heavy impact on the hull shortly before the vessel sank. "It seems that a steel plate broke off under the water," said Napoleon Smit, director of maritime safety. The vessel sank so fast that there was no time to launch the life-raft, he said.

4 April 2000 – The owners of m bulk carrier Leader L. have laid some blame for the tragedy on her dead master and crew. A Leoninos Shipping representative has claimed weather conditions and "the human factor" could have contributed to the sinking of the vessel. He said he felt "the human factor" was a significant contributing factor in the incident, adding that it might not have happened had the vessel been turned into the weather. However, a senior Bermuda shipping official countered that according to a report provided by the Bermuda Weather Service, the weather on March 23, the night of the disaster, was nothing out of the ordinary for the north Atlantic for this time of year. Winds were 25 to 35 knots, and seas between 12 and 18ft.

IACS, the classification societies' association, is to conduct its own investigation into the circumstances surrounding the loss of m bulk carrier Leader L. on March 24. This will be the first case assessed by the special casualty investigation board, which was set up in February to assist flag state and "speed up the learning process after serious casualties". The investigation will re-examine the transfer of class from LR to Polish Register, in 1997, and will seek to verify that all due requirements and conditions were fulfilled in the transfer process. It will also consider whether any cargo-related aspects in the vessel's technical history could have accelerated corrosion in her holds. IACS permanent secretary Robin Bradley said the association would share its "reliable information" in further statements.

7 April 2000 – M bulk carrier Leader L. had nine conditions of class, many of them related to corrosion, imposed during an abortive special survey in February 1997, it has been learned. Problems with the vessel, which sank with the loss of 18 lives last month, included wastage on many frames, lower frame brackets, and topside tank web frame face plates. However, before the survey was completed, the owner transferred to Polski Rejestr Statkow. The development leaves Piraeus-based operator Cavo d'Oro Navigation vulnerable to accusations of so-called "class hopping". This is the practice of switching a vessel from one classification society to another, particularly one perceived to set less rigorous standards. The transfer of class took place in May 1997, the same month in which Polski Rejestr Statkow was suspended from the International Association of Classification Societies. Among the reasons for the suspension were complaints over the way it handled transfers from other societies. Details of how the Leader L. changed class will be one of the aspects of the case considered by IACS in its unprecedented parallel investigation into the accident. IACS will seek to "verify that all due requirements and conditions were fulfilled" during the transfer. Polish Register director general Dr Jan Jankowski said the special survey – mandatory under the enhanced survey programme for older bulkers and tankers – had been completed in July 1997. All renewal work had been executed within the time limits set down by Lloyd's Register, he said. While corrosion is always present to some degree in older vessels, its degree on the Leader L. was within acceptable limits and the vessel was considered safe, he said. Dr Jankowski said that it was unfair to raise the issue of the Polish Register's suspension from IACS. This had happened three years ago, with the society readmitted as an associate in 1998. Since that time, it had satisfied all audits and checks by relevant bodies. Cavo d'Oro principal Captain John Kambanis said in a written statement: "All nine Lloyd's Register conditions of class imposed, as well as the additional conditions of class imposed by the Polish register, were cleared after repairs by the completion of the special survey in July 1997 at Bahrain shipyard. The reasons why the vessel shifted from Lloyd's Register class to the Polish register were purely economic. The vessel, from the time she came under our management, has passed various inspections including port state control by the US Coast Guard … without having found any deficiencies whatsoever and always having found the vessel and holds fit to load all the intended cargoes."

18 March 2000 – London, UK

A Lloyd's List investigation into the collision last month between ro-ro m ferry Espresso Catania and mv Zafir has cast doubt on the initial account of the casualty which resulted in the death of 13 seafarers. Contrary to previous reports, Lloyd's List can reveal that the wreck of Zafir is believed to have broken into two pieces. It is lying on the seabed in 436 metres of water about one mile from where it was originally thought to have sunk. Furthermore, damage to Espresso Catania resulting from the collision is limited to her bow – mainly the stem and forepeak – while no damage is reported on her side. If this damage is confirmed it would appear that Espresso Catania ran into Zafir. After the collision the master of Espresso Catania gave an apparently contradictory explanation. He said his vessel had been hit by Zafir. However, the impression that the Espresso Catania may have run into the other vessel in no way implies any blame on Espresso Catania or her crew since there is little evidence yet over the vessels' exact movements before they collided. According to the Rome Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, the Italian vessel sent a distress signal at 00.05hrs, February 14. Sources confirmed that the distress signal was sent 17 minutes after the collision. When the collision occurred Zafir was on the starboard side of the Espresso Catania. She was sailing at around 13 knots against more than 17 by the Italian vessel. Both were southbound on parallel routes. "We were hit on starboard side at the level of the wheelhouse," the Espresso Catania master told news agencies just after the collision. "We had Zafir on our radar about one mile on our right. She suddenly changed direction entering on a 90 degree route of collision." He maintained that Zafir sank very quickly minutes after the collision. After the collision Espresso Catania was grounded by her master, who feared she could sink. There are two different investigations under way in Italy, one by the maritime administration and the second by Catanzaro's criminal court. After the incident Paola de Franceschi, the public prosecutor in charge of the criminal investigation, opened an inquiry into the responsibilities of the master and other crew members of Espresso Catania, which is operated by Italian state-owned Adriatica di Navigazione. Lloyd's List can reveal the findings of an echo sounding survey to locate Zafir made by the Italian Navy oceanographic vessel Ammiraglio Magnaghi. "The wreck was found about seven miles from the coast under 436m of water, Miguel Benzo, Spanish consul in Naples, told Lloyd's List. "This position is about one mile from where the wreck was believed to be. Furthermore, the Ammiraglio Magnaghi found two different and separated pieces. One would be around 100 metres long and the second would be about 20 metres. This latter would be the bow of Zafir. This means the vessel broke in two after the collision." An underwater inspection to the wreck is at present being carried out through a remote-controlled submersible robot. Earlier this month the Italian public prosecutor appointed technical advisers in charge of inspecting Espresso Catania. After being towed to Catania, her original destination, to unload her cargo, Espresso Catania was docked in Messina at Smeb shipyard. She is now under judicial sequestration waiting for the four experts – three appointed by the judge and one by the relatives of those who lost their lives – to complete their investigation. Sources that have visited the ship while in the dry dock told Lloyd's List the only visible damage to the vessel's hull was concentrated at her bow, not on her side. Antonio Cacucci, chief executive of Adriatica di Navigazione, declined to specify the damage to Espresso Catania. He told Lloyd's List that repairs would start as soon as the vessel was freed from judicial seizure. "It will take about two months to have the vessel back on service." Espresso Catania was deployed on the Ravenna Catania line. She has been replaced temporary by the smaller ro-ro mv Egizia but it is likely that Adriatica will charter a larger vessel to serve the route.

5 April 2000 – London, UK

A second major inquiry opens today into the sinking of ore/bulk/oil mv Derbyshire, the largest British vessel ever to be lost at sea. A judge sitting at the High Court in London will determine why the vessel sank in the South China Sea in 1980, and what implications its loss has for safety at sea. Controversy has surrounded previous attempts to find out what caused the Derbyshire to sink with the loss of 44 lives. Water flooded the bow area, assessors explained, causing the vessel to sit lower. It was only after a sister vessel, ore/bulk/oil mv Kowloon Bridge, went aground and broke up off Ireland in 1986 that the first public inquiry into the Derbyshire accident started in 1987. That inquiry concluded that the vessel was "probably overwhelmed by the forces of nature" during a typhoon. But families of the 44 people who died believe poor working practices and design faults were to blame. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott ordered the new inquiry after a multi-million pound government funded expedition returned to examine the wreck of the Derbyshire on the seabed. The hatch covers ripped off, cargo area filled with water and the vessel sank in minutes. From 200 hours of video and more than 130,000 photographs, investigators discovered how the vessel went down. Ploughing through huge waves, a fore-hatch lost its cover and the bow hold began to fill. The crew could not see and as the Derbyshire became nose heavy, larger seas broke open the forward hatch covers allowing thousands of tonnes of water to flood in. The build-up of water pressure led to a series of explosions and implosions which ripped through the vessel's hold. She sank in two minutes.

6 April 2000 – Ore/bulk/oil mv Derbyshire was pounded by huge waves of up to 20 metres coming from all directions for several hours before she sank, a courtroom heard yesterday on the first day of the reopened investigation into the vessel's loss 20 years ago. New techniques developed since the first tinquiry into the disaster can calculate much more accurately the sea conditions prevailing at the time the Derbyshire disappeared, the UK Attorney General Lord Williams of Mostyn said in an opening statement to the court. While cautioning that there could never be "absolute certainty" about what happened in the final minutes before the Derbyshire sank because no eyewitnesses survived, Lord Williams nevertheless said experts believe the loss was caused by flooded cargo holds as water crashed over the vessel's bow, stoving in the forward hatch covers. "That can be said, without fear of contradiction, to have been the most probable cause of the loss," he told the court. Although no stronger than many North Atlantic storms, typhoon "Orchid" had many unusual features, including wave lengths of about 300 metres, roughly the same length as the Derbyshire. Furthermore, the pitching effects caused by the wave period would have been much worse because of the storm's revolving nature. The Attorney General told the court he hoped the judge, Mr Justice Colman, would recommend establishing adequate standards for hatch cover strength. The International Association of Classification Societies needed new rules to guard against a repetition of this kind of accident, Lord Williams suggested. He also criticised the shipping industry for tolerating the routine failure in heavy weather of minor fittings for ventilation and tank pressure relief "that can allow serious flooding of bow spaces". It may also be time to compel shipbuilders to prepare formal safety assessments of new vessel designs, Lord Williams said. Film footage shot during an underwater survey of the wreck effectively ruled out structural failure, the Attorney General continued. In particular, controversial frame 65 did not fail, he maintained. Neither did the Derbyshire break in two. The vessel "left the surface in one piece" said Lord Williams. Instead, particular characteristics of typhoon "Orchid" would appear to provide the explanation for the disaster in which 44 people perished in September 1980. The inquiry is expected to last three months.

8 May 2000 – A top naval architect has told the bulk/oil mv Derbyshire inquiry that defects in frame 65 did not cause the 1980 sinking of the vessel with the loss of all 42 on board. Families of the victims contend that structural failure was the reason for the tragedy, pointing out that several sister ships experienced problems in way of the identically situated bulkhead. But Dr Remo Torchio, a consultant in naval architecture and marine surveying, argued forcefully against the theory at the reopened formal investigation in London last week. Dr Torchio was one of the three assessors involved in the 1998 survey that filmed the wreckage on the seabed south of Japan. The frame 65 issue, and the relevant classification society rules, form part of the investigation's terms of reference. Another of the assessors, Robin Williams, will give evidence over the next month. Meanwhile, experimental wave tank tests will resume in The Netherlands.

13 April 2000 – Manila, The Philippines

At least 52 people, many of them children, drowned when the motor launch Annahada, 71.68 gt, sank off Jolo island in the southern Philippines, the coastguard said today. Defence Secretary, Orlando Mercado said it was unclear how many passengers were still missing from last night's disaster as it was not known how many had been on board. A coastguard spokesman said 27 children had drowned, but he did not know how many passengers survived. A Manila radio station earlier reported 79 people had been rescued and taken to a hospital in Jolo, some 960km (596 miles) south of Manila. Defence Secretary Mercado said initial reports showed the launch might have been overloaded. The launch sank just after leaving Jolo for the nearby island of Bongao, coastguard spokesman Lieutenant Commander Ricardo Biollo said. Biollo said 11 passengers and nine crew were aboard when it left Jolo "but, according to our initial investigation, small boats carrying people met the launch at sea and that's where the other passengers got on board." It was too dark at the time to determine how many people boarded at sea, he said, adding the launch sank 1.3 nautical miles off Jolo pier.

According to a report, 70 passengers were rescued and brought to a hospital in the area while 52 were confirmed dead.

14 April 2000 – The National Disaster Co-ordinating Council reported that there may have been 150 to 200 passengers on the vessel, which had a licensed capacity of 50 passengers. The council said there were 79 survivors. A Coast Guard spokesman said the ferry probably picked up the extra passengers on reaching open seas. It is common for local people, who are either left behind or refused passage, to hire boats to chase the ferry and board when she leaves port. The cause of the mishap is still to be decided, but survivors said that so many passengers caused the vessel to settle low in the water.

As at 13.22, April 13, 59 dead, including 27 children, and 70 survivors. Vessel apparently changed course, listed to port and failed to recover. Vessel keeled over with starboard side uppermost. Annahada was towed by rescuing fishing vessel to Jolo.

Annahada left the private wharf Jundylan at 20.30, April 12, bound for Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, en route to Sandakan, when the accident happened. The vessel was reported licensed to carry nine crew and 11 passengers and cargo. The manifest listed 18 names, most of them crew members. According to Maritime Industry Administration, the vessel had no permit to operate. A report said the vessel tilted on her starboard side, 20 minutes after leaving port, when passengers, seeing huge waves, panicked and rushed to that side. However, survivors said that the waves were only moderate. The Coast Guard district commander said the vessel had only nine crew and 11 cargo agents on board when cleared for departure from Jolo. It was reported that the vessel picked up scores of passengers at sea, from small boats. The Annahada is reportedly owned by the mayor of Tapul Town, Nasser Daud.

15 April 2000 – Rescuers pulled more bodies from the sea yesterday, raising the death toll from the capsize of motor launch Annahada in the southern Philippines to 86. "Based on our records, 86 bodies have so far been retrieved," Danilo Comaigking, Coast Guard station chief in Jolo, the vessel's port of origin, said. He also said at least 70 survivors had been accounted for. "We are still conducting search and rescue in the area," Comaigking said. About 200 people were on board the 20ft vessel when she capsized Wednesday night (April 12) off Jolo, Comaigking said, quoting survivors. The vessel was authorised to carry only cargo and capsized after picking up passengers at sea, Coast Guard operations officer Lieutenant Roy Echeverria said yesterday.

16 April 2000 – More bodies have been recovered following the capsizing of wooden-hulled Annahada off the southern Philippines, bringing the death toll to at least 133, officials said today. Sulu police chief Candido Casimiro said most of the bodies retrieved by the Coast Guard and Navy in the past two days were found in the sea off Jolo. A private fishing vessel reportedly retrieved nine other bodies several miles away off the island town of Languyan in Tawi-Tawi, the country's southernmost province. They would not be added to the death toll until they were brought to Jolo, Casimiro said. Casimiro said heavy rains were hampering the search today. He added authorities may continue looking for bodies for three more days before deciding whether to call the search off. Coast Guard officials said there were more than 70 survivors. It is difficult to estimate the number of missing because they were travelling illegally and were not registered on a passenger list, the officials said. Casimiro said most of the passengers were women and children travelling to Sandakan either to look for jobs as domestics or visit relatives working there. They chose to travel illegally because of the cheaper fare, he said. Survivors said many of the passengers were crowded under a tarp on the deck for protection from rain. When the Annahada tilted and then capsized, they were unable to cut through the tarp and were trapped. Survivors said there were no life vests for them. The capsized vessel was later towed back to a Jolo pier, where she lay on her side with a hole in her hull.

7 May 2000 – Jakarta, Indonesia

An overloaded ferry KM Masnait carrying more than 100 passengers sank today in waters off Ambon island, the official Antara news agency reported. Rescuers found 20 bodies in the sea where the ferry went down, and had rescued 27 survivors, the agency said. The fate of the other passengers and crew members was unknown. Navy vessels have been dispatched to aid in search efforts, the report said. The ferry was en route from Ambon to the port of Waipirit on Seram island, about 1,450 miles east of Jakarta. It sank about five hours after leaving port. The ferry, which was overloaded with the passengers, four vehicles and 60 tons of cement and fertiliser, was swamped by two large waves and then capsized, Antara said.

8 May 2000 – Officials in Indonesia say the number of people who died when ferry KM Masnait sank off the island of Ambon yesterday has risen to 37. A further 85 people survived the sinking, and a similar number are reported to be missing.

A report from Fairplay, dated today, states: about 40 people are reported to have died when an overloaded ferry named KM Masnait or KMP Masnait sank off the Indonesian island of Ambon yesterday. The ferry sank about five hours out of Gudang Arang port en route for Waipirit, about 2,300km east of Jakarta. News agencies say the ferry was carrying four vehicles and 60 tonnes of cement and fertiliser in addition to 100 passengers. Naval vessels are assisting a search by police and local vessels and 56 survivors had been rescued by this morning while 37 bodies had been found. The remaining passengers and crew are missing. A survivor reported that the ferry had first departed from the port on May 6, but returned when water swamped her bows. She loaded more vehicles before setting sail early yesterday, when she capsized after being damaged by high seas.