Ensure marine safety

The Secretary for Transport and Housing told the Legislative Council (LegCo) on Monday that the Transport and Housing Bureau had decided to take over the investigation of maritime accidents completely in order to ensure the results are just and fair. Investigations of maritime incidents have been the sole responsibility of the Marine Department so far. Hong Kong is an international shipping center and the Marine Department plays a crucial role in maintaining maritime order in waters under the SAR's jurisdiction.

Unfortunately the report by an independent panel investigating the cause of the deadly collision near Lamma Island on the night of Oct 1, 2012 points out that the Marine Department has developed chronic deficiency in following the law faithfully over the years in a way that affects maritime safety in Hong Kong. The SAR government must pursue the Marine Department for its poor work in maritime safety, rid it of bureaucratic style, plug regulatory loopholes and elevate the management of maritime administration for the sake of Hong Kong's status as a shipping center.

The official report delivered by the Commission of Inquiry last month calls out the department on its lack of professional supervision over a host of safety-related matters in the design, construction and quality inspection of the ferry that sank quickly after the fatal collision, killing 39 people. The mistakes included insufficient lifejackets for children, faulty hatch doors that failed to prevent flooding of the ferry's holds, which caused it to sink quickly, and failure of the captains and crews of both vessels to avoid collision in the first place. There is no question the Marine Department was significantly responsible for the maritime catastrophe and some officials must be held accountable.

The SAR government's decision to take over the internal investigation of the Marine Department is necessary to assure the public of the justness and objectivity of the findings. Next it must handle in all fairness the dispensing of disciplinary actions against officials responsible for the sorry state of safety regulation and handing any case to the police if its nature calls for judicial prosecution. Meanwhile, the Steering Committee on the Systemic Reform of the Marine Department must implement expert-suggested reform measures and learn from foreign countries' success, including advanced technology and safety-management regimes, to elevate Hong Kong's maritime administration to a level compatible with the city's international shipping center status.

This is an excerpted translation of a Wen Wei Po editorial published on May 28.

(HK Edition 05/29/2013 page1)