Bahrain boat tragedy: Why didn’t the captain send SOS?
Hemu Gorde
Khaleej Times, UAE
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Manama (Bahrain):
The authorities are interrogating the Indian captain of the ill-fated Al Dana pleasure boat that capsized here late on Thursday evening, killing 57 people of 16 nationalities.
While the police are continuing with their investigation with the captain, several serious questions about the registration status of the boat and qualification and experience of its captain still remain unanswered.
There are still more questions:
Was the boat refurbished recently considering the basic balance and floatability design? Was it insured? Had it received a seaworthiness certificate? Was safety of passengers and the crew taken into consideration? And who gave the order to the captain to sail off despite, as reported earlier, his initial refusal to do so considering the number of people and cargo on board?Another important question. Why didn’t the captain send an SOS to the Coast Guard immediately?
In fact, he never sent one, and apparently jumped out of the boat to save his life. When the Khaleej Times asked Colonel. Tariq Al Hassan, spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior, agreed that the police were interrogating the captain. Colonel Al Hassan added that the matter would be handed over to the Public Prosecutor.
“When a tragedy of such magnitude happens, the first priority is to focus on the search and rescue mission, to save the maximum number of lives possible and to recover as many bodies as possible of the deceased. Now the case goes to the Public Prosecutor,” he said.
According to sources, the captain was not qualified. He was merely a sailor. Commenting on the captain’s failure in sending an SOS, Colonel Yusuf Al Ghatam, Commander of the Bahrain Coast Guard at the Ministry of the Interior, told Khaleej Times that “the boat turned over at 9.30pm, but we got a distress call from a passenger at 9.45pm asking for Coast Guard’s help”.
AFP, Reuters add: An Egyptian survivor who was on the upper deck at the time of the accident alleged that poor steering had contributed to the tragedy.Al Wasat daily published yesterday an interview with the “captain of the Banoosh”, naming him captain R, in which he put the blame on the tour operator, saying they insisted on loading too much drinks and party equipment.
Hemu Gorde
Khaleej Times, UAE
______________
Manama (Bahrain):
The authorities are interrogating the Indian captain of the ill-fated Al Dana pleasure boat that capsized here late on Thursday evening, killing 57 people of 16 nationalities.
While the police are continuing with their investigation with the captain, several serious questions about the registration status of the boat and qualification and experience of its captain still remain unanswered.
There are still more questions:
Was the boat refurbished recently considering the basic balance and floatability design? Was it insured? Had it received a seaworthiness certificate? Was safety of passengers and the crew taken into consideration? And who gave the order to the captain to sail off despite, as reported earlier, his initial refusal to do so considering the number of people and cargo on board?Another important question. Why didn’t the captain send an SOS to the Coast Guard immediately?
In fact, he never sent one, and apparently jumped out of the boat to save his life. When the Khaleej Times asked Colonel. Tariq Al Hassan, spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior, agreed that the police were interrogating the captain. Colonel Al Hassan added that the matter would be handed over to the Public Prosecutor.
“When a tragedy of such magnitude happens, the first priority is to focus on the search and rescue mission, to save the maximum number of lives possible and to recover as many bodies as possible of the deceased. Now the case goes to the Public Prosecutor,” he said.
According to sources, the captain was not qualified. He was merely a sailor. Commenting on the captain’s failure in sending an SOS, Colonel Yusuf Al Ghatam, Commander of the Bahrain Coast Guard at the Ministry of the Interior, told Khaleej Times that “the boat turned over at 9.30pm, but we got a distress call from a passenger at 9.45pm asking for Coast Guard’s help”.
AFP, Reuters add: An Egyptian survivor who was on the upper deck at the time of the accident alleged that poor steering had contributed to the tragedy.Al Wasat daily published yesterday an interview with the “captain of the Banoosh”, naming him captain R, in which he put the blame on the tour operator, saying they insisted on loading too much drinks and party equipment.
