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South China Morning Post
19-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong marine officials missed ferry design flaw, disaster inquiry hears
Two Marine Department officials have told a court inquest that they failed to notice a design flaw in a ferry involved in one of Hong Kong's deadliest maritime disasters as they thought they were not required to look for such issues during periodical check-ups. The Coroner's Court on Monday heard oral evidence from three current and former ship inspectors who were involved in checks on the Lamma IV between 1997 and 2009 before it collided with another ferry and sank on October 1, 2012. The Lamma IV was hit by the Sea Smooth ferry in the waters off Lamma Island while carrying 124 HK Electric employees and their relatives to watch National Day fireworks over Victoria Harbour. The Lamma Island-bound Sea Smooth, operated by Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry, was able to continue its journey to Yung Shue Wan Pier, but the Lamma IV sank in less than two minutes, leading to 39 deaths. The court previously heard that the Lamma IV's initial design from 1995 involved six compartments on the underdeck, with the steering gear compartment and the tank room at the stern separated by a watertight bulkhead. The ferry sank in less than two minutes. Photo: Handout Lo Ngok-ying, a director at Cheoy Lee Shipyards which built the Lamma IV, later decided to introduce a hatch connecting the two rooms without a watertight door to comply with what he thought was a legal requirement on the minimal size of underdeck rooms.
South China Morning Post
08-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong ferry disaster survivor says life jackets locked away before sinking
A survivor of Hong Kong's Lamma Island ferry disaster has told a court inquest that the life jackets were locked away and he was unable to get one by himself before his ferry sank following its collision with another vessel. Advertisement Philip Chiu Ping-chuen, whose sister died in the tragedy, on Thursday became the first witness to provide verbal testimony at the coroner's inquiry into the accident that took place on October 1, 2012. That night, the Lamma Island-bound Sea Smooth, operated by Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry, crashed into the Lamma IV, which was taking 124 HK Electric employees and their relatives to see the National Day fireworks in Victoria Harbour. The former was able to continue its journey to Yung Shue Wan Pier, but the Lamma IV sank in less than two minutes, partly due to design flaws, resulting in 39 deaths – the city's worst maritime disaster since 1971. Chiu, a newspaper editor, said he went to get a life jacket after the collision at around 8.22pm, only to find out the safety apparatus closest was locked behind a 'metal frame' that could not be accessed without a crew member. Advertisement The court heard that an HK Electric employee got the key from the crew and unlocked the life jackets about 30 seconds later.
The Star
08-05-2025
- The Star
Coroner's inquest begins into 2012 Hong Kong Lamma ferry disaster
A coroner's inquest into one of Hong Kong's worst maritime disasters started on Tuesday, with some survivors complaining that they were never told the location of life-saving apparatus and the means of escape before their ferry sank in the accident 13 years ago. The Coroner's Court on Tuesday began hearing evidence regarding the circumstances of the 39 deaths caused by a collision between two ferries in waters off Lamma Island on October 1, 2012. The long-overdue hearing was held after two relatives of victims convinced the Court of Appeal that it was in the public interest to investigate the incident once again, even though the causes of the tragedy had been largely identified in previous inquiries. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. The 39 deceased were among 124 passengers on board the Lamma IV vessel heading to view National Day fireworks as part of a recreational event by HK Electric organised for its employees and their relatives. The boat was hit on the port side by the Sea Smooth ferry, operated by Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry, while heading to Victoria Harbour at around 8.20pm. The damaged Sea Smooth was able to continue to Lamma Island's Yung Shue Wan Pier, but the Lamma IV sank in less than two minutes partly due to design flaws. It marked the city's worst maritime disaster since 1971, when 88 were killed after a ferry sank during a typhoon. On the first day of what is expected to be a 60-day inquiry, the court heard 17 witness statements recorded either during police investigations or in preparation for a commission of inquiry in 2012. The statements were made by three then HK Electric employees, the Lamma IV's skipper and 13 passengers. Chow Chi-wai, who was behind Lamma IV's helm, said in a police interview that he had sounded an alarm immediately after noticing Sea Smooth sailing towards the HK Electric vessel. He added the crash came 'very quickly' in 'less than one minute'. Most of the surviving passengers recalled the Lamma IV suddenly speeding up moments before impact, with some adding they did not believe the crew members had taken any action to avoid the crash. HK Electric clerk Wendy Szeto Lan, who invited 20 relatives and friends to the event, said there was no sign inside the Lamma IV indicating the location of lifebuoys or written instructions in case of an emergency. Another passenger, Lau Kam-bor, also said the ship's crew never briefed those on board about the location of lifebuoys and life jackets or escape routes before the vessel set sail. Coroner Monica Chow Wai-choo said the inquest would focus on six issues the appellate court found to remain unresolved, including whether the Lamma IV's coaming was lower than required and whether the installation of metal plating on the Sea Smooth's port hull had contributed to the tragedy. The coroner's officer, senior prosecutor Andrew Li Hay-chit, revealed that more than one witness remained out of reach and his team was considering the possibility of applying for arrest warrants to compel their appearances in later proceedings. The court is expected to hear more witness statements by the survivors when proceedings resume on Wednesday. Philip Chiu Ping-chuen, who lost his elder sister Chiu Siu-king in the disaster, is expected to testify on Thursday as the first witness to give oral evidence in the inquest. More from South China Morning Post: For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2025.
South China Morning Post
07-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Boat involved in Hong Kong ferry disaster ‘was sailing at high speed' before crash
A ferry involved in one of Hong Kong's worst maritime disasters 13 years ago had been sailing at high speed before it crashed into another vessel and caused the latter to sink within minutes, a court inquest has heard. Advertisement The Coroner's Court heard on Wednesday that the Sea Smooth could have been travelling as fast as 20 knots, or about 37km/h, before the collision with the Lamma IV off the waters of Lamma Island that claimed 39 lives on October 1, 2012. Witnesses also recalled how the Sea Smooth's crewmen appeared 'shocked and nervous' after the accident, while the dozens of passengers on board were divided on whether the ship should continue its journey or help in the rescue of those thrown off the sunken Lamma IV. The Lamma IV, owned by HK Electric, was en route to Victoria Harbour that night to view National Day fireworks as part of a recreational event the company organised for its staff and their relatives. The ship, with 124 passengers on board, sank in less than two minutes after the collision, partly due to design flaws, resulting in 39 deaths – the city's worst maritime disaster since 1971. Advertisement The court on Wednesday heard 24 witness statements that the survivors gave during a police investigation shortly after the tragedy.
HKFP
06-05-2025
- HKFP
Hong Kong coroner's court to hear over 250 testimonies in 2012 Lamma ferry crash inquest
A Hong Kong court is expected to hear over 250 testimonies about the 2012 Lamma ferry crash that killed 39 people, as an inquest into the tragedy began on Tuesday. The inquest at the coroner's court is slated to last 60 days, during which 166 testimonies will be read out, according to local media. Ninety-two witnesses will also testify either in person or via video link to recount the tragedy that happened almost 13 years ago, the reports said. On October 1, 2012, the ferry Lamma IV collided with another vessel, Sea Smooth, off Lamma Island, leaving 39 people dead and 92 others injured. Lamma IV, which had 126 passengers on board, was chartered by the Hong Kong Electric Company to take staff to watch the National Day Fireworks Display in the harbour. The regular passenger ferry Sea Smooth, operated by the Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry Company, had more than 100 people on board. Coroner Monica Chow said on Tuesday that the inquest was intended to discern the facts and would not determine civil or criminal liabilities, according to local media reports. But the hearing would hopefully provide transparency and closure for family members of those who died in the incident, she added. Verbal testimonies of staff members of the Hong Kong Electric Company were read out during the proceedings on Tuesday, including that of a staff member surnamed Lai, who organised the fireworks viewing event on that day. According to his testimony given to the police, Lai said no crew members of Lamma IV or passengers had consumed alcohol that night, adding that the vessel's speed was 'normal,' while Sea Smooth was cruising at a 'rather high' speed. Captain of Lamma IV, Chow Chi-wai, told the police that he turned his vessel to starboard in an attempt to keep away from Sea Smooth after he saw the boat coming towards Lamma IV. But Sea Smooth rammed into the port side of Lamma IV about a minute after he spotted the ship, Chow said. The captain, who was sentenced to nine months behind bars in 2015 for endangering others' safety at sea, declined to answer police questions about whether his vessel had enough crew members to ensure safety, as well as those about the details of the incident. The first witness is expected to take the stand on Thursday, local media reports said. 'Long overdue' closure Families of the victims had demanded an inquest over the ferry crash for years as they sought transparency in the investigation. The coroner's court in 2020 decided it would not investigate the incident – a decision that was challenged by some families but upheld by the city's High Court. In 2023, the Court of Appeal overturned the decision and ordered the inquest, with three judges ruling that the open court proceedings could bring 'long overdue' closure for the families. The judges also outlined six issues to be resolved at the inquest, including whether the Marine Department had failed to identify faults in the construction and design of both vessels during its regular inspections. Lai Sai-ming, the captain of Sea Smooth, was jailed for eight years in 2015 for 39 counts of manslaughter and for endangering others' safety at sea.
