Design of ship in Lamma tragedy met safety standards of time, Hong Kong inquest finds
Coroner says undisputed evidence shows collision that left 39 dead was caused by the gross negligence of two coxswains
The Coroner’s Court on Wednesday returned a verdict of unlawful killing of the 39, pointing to gross negligence by the ships’ two coxswains, while ruling on issues relating to the circumstances of the crash.
Coroner Monica Chow Wai-choo ruled that the omission of a watertight door on the underdeck of the sunken Lamma IV was deliberate and compliant with regulatory requirements when the vessel was built in 1994 and 1995.
The victims’ relatives have argued the absence of a watertight door was the main reason for the ship’s rapid sinking and the tragic loss of lives on October 1, 2012, citing marine experts’ unanimous opinion that the door would have allowed the ship to stay afloat until rescuers arrived.
But Chow accepted explanations from the vessel’s designers that a door was never intended from the start.
Chow said the Lamma IV was built in such a way that it would stay afloat if one below-deck compartment was compromised, meeting the minimum standard for vessels sailing in Hong Kong’s sheltered waters at the time.