Page 24 - IB FEB 2018

Shipping

Rescue on the high seas by OMR officials after it encountered
engine trouble and started drifting off
Emae.
When officials arrived to tow it back
to Port Vila, they found it overloaded
with 136 people on board, well in ex-
cess than its capacity.
In 2014, four people perished when the
overloaded MGY capsized and sank north
of Efate Island.
The LC Urata pictured a day later west of Emae; where it finally sank Insert: Arrival in Port Vila Photos: OMR
The ship, with a capacity of 30 people,
could not keep out seawater, which en- had 41 passengers and had an untrained
tered from the stern tube and flooded the crew.
engine room The owner and its captain were charged
“It was lucky we were within range or it with manslaughter and tried.
could have been tragic,” he said. Two years later, the LC Mahalia capsized
By Ilaitia Turagabeci
Captain Enrel said the sea was rough north of Erromango Island. Its 13 crew
SAFETY concerns for inter-island travel that day with swells two metres high and were rescued by a container ship.
in Vanuatu resurfaced last month after winds up to 20 knots. The incidents highlighted flaws in Vana-
passengers on an inter-island ship in He said when he arrived he could see uatu’s maritime regulations, which have
Vanuatu were rescued on the high seas all the passengers and crew had donned been under scrutiny in the last decade
after it developed engine trouble and sank. life jackets and were standing on the deck. and reiterated calls to improve maritime
The LC Urata, a self-propelled landing Captain Enrel said inter-island ships inspections.
craft was travelling from South Malekula are checked regularly when they dock in In 2007, the Vanuatu Maritime Author-
to Port Vila when it encountered problems Vila and Santo, Vanuatu’s second largest ity was repealed over allegations of corrup-
25 nautical miles west of Emae in the early island. tion and political interference.
hours of 10 January. “The checks are only on board and Last September, the Independent Office
Maritime authorities in Vanuatu said never under water,” he said. of the Maritime Regulator (OMR) was
it was fortunate that another ship was in “There’s a need to do underwater checks opened after a four-year reform process for
the vicinity when the incident happened. also to ensure there is no leakage to avoid Vanuatu’s maritime sector funded by New
All 60 passengers on board and the 16 such disasters.” Zealand and the Asian Development Bank.
crew were safely rescued by the MV Young “Maritime inspectors also have to be The establishment of the office was
Blood, which was also on it’s way from strict when surveying vessels and not be heralded by Vanuatu’s Minister for Public
South Malekula to Port Vila. influenced in their decisions or be bribed Utilities and Infrastructure Jotham Napat,
The captain of the MV Young Blood, as this used to be a common practice in who said it would avoid past pitfalls and
Thompson Alick Enrel, told Islands Busi- Vanuatu some years back.” improve safety and security for inter-
ness that passengers were relieved when On 11 January, a team comprising of- island travellers, most of whom could not
they showed up beside the sinking ship. ficers from the Indepedenct Office of the afford airfares.
The stern was submerged and passen- Maritime Regulator (OMR), Ports and Napat said Vanuatu would not allow the
gers had boarded life rafts when rescuers Harbour and Amos left Port Vila with the mistakes of the past to be repeated in the
arrived. intention to re-float the vessel and tow it maritime sector and assure the people that
All those rescued were disembarked back to Port Vila his ministry would work hard to improve
safely when the MV Young Blood docked They abandoned the plan after arriving safety and regulation.
into Port Vila later that day. to find the ship had already drifted from Maniel sympathised with Amos for his
The LC Urata - owned by parliamentar- the location marked on the radar and loss and acknowledged the management
ian John Amos, who represents Tongoa in listing heavily. of LC Urata, for the services it provided
the Shepherd Islands close to Emae in the Maniel said the team conducted an as- throughout the islands of Vanuatu.
Shefa Province – services the constituency sessment but concluded that it would be He admitted that there had been delays
and mainly transports copra to Port Vila for impossible to refloat the ship. which prolonged efforts to rescue the ship
farmers from the 14 villages on Tongoa. “There were possibilities to save the but that their main responsibility was to
Interim maritime regulator Charlie ship but given the lack of equipment, this save lives.
Maniel, who flew to the site in a helicopter could not happen. The team would only One of the biggest missions undertaken
hired by the MP, said the vessel had met all be risking their lives if they try to re-float by Urata recently was the transportation of
maritime requirements before setting sail the vessel,” Maniel stated. families on Ambae during the evacuation
and the crew had done all that was needed “The buoyancy weight of the ship under following the Manaro volcano disaster.
to ensure the safety of the passengers. the water is greater than the buoyancy The ORM has since issued a warning
“I received a telephone call from the weight of the ship on the surface so it to all domestic vessels, fishing boats and
Captain of MV Young Blood early that would be impossible to re-float the ship.” international liners to be cautious when
morning, notifying me that LC Urata had This is the third sinking of an inter-is- they sail near the area where the LC Urata
encountered a problem,” said Maniel. land vessel similar to the Urata in Vanuatu. sunk to its final resting spot.
Captain Enrel said initial reports from On February 4, another landing craft
the crew pointed to a faulty pump which similar to the LC Urata, was detained r ilaitia.turagabeci@gmail.com

24 Islands Business, February 2018