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Two masters and two pilots involved in Hong Kong’s worst maritime disaster since 1971 have been sentenced to up to 38 months in prison on charges related to endangering life at sea. The panamax bulk carrier Yao Hai and the offshore supply vessel Neftegaz-67 collided at 2100 hrs on March 22, 2008, close to Hong Kong International Airport, with the bow of the bulker striking and holing the supply vessel amidships.

Lloyd’s List reported that Capt Yuriy Kulemesin, the Ukrainian master of Neftegaz-67, received the longest sentence, of three years and two months, after being found guilty of breaking collision regulation rules 5, 8 and 9. These cover failure to keep a proper lookout, failure to avoid a collision and failure to navigate properly in a narrow channel. Tang Dock-wah, the senior pilot onboard the 69,497 dwt bulker, was jailed for three years.

The Yao Hai ’s master, Liu Bo, and its junior pilot, Bruce Chun, were both sent to prison for 30 months. All three were found guilty of breaking colregs 5 and 8.

Jailing the men after the 90-day trial at a Hong Kong district court, Judge Susana D’Almada Remedios said Kulemesin and Tang were more culpable than the two other defendants. The two masters and two pilots were each criticised for doing “too little, too late” to prevent a collision. The judge pointed out that monitoring equipment showed that each vessel took evasive action at the same time, but that was not enough to prevent the collision.

More on this and other news in Sea Breezes Magazine - March 2010 Issue
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