Judgment was delivered in the Hong Kong trial of those charged in the sinking of a Ukrainian tug that went down with 18 lives.
Four sailors charged in one of Hong Kong’s worst maritime accidents were found guilty and remanded in custody yesterday as judgment was delivered in the sinking of a Ukrainian tugboat in 2008.
Eighteen seamen on the tug, Neftegaz-67, died when the vessel collided with mainland Chinese bulk carrier Yaohai in a shipping channel off Lantau island in Hong Kong waters.
The four guilty of endangering the safety of others at sea – they had all pleaded not guilty to the charge that is punishable by four years in prison – are Neftegaz-67 captain Yuriy Kulemesin, master of the Yaohai, Liu Bo, and two pilots that were on the Yaohai, Tang Dock-wah and Bruce Chun Wah-tak.
They have been out on bail since the incident but now find themselves behind bars following the district court judgment.
The judge said Kulemesin, Liu and the pilots should have known that vessels in waters where the tug sank pass each other by both turning to starboard, passing port side to port side, if they find themselves on a collision course.
Sentencing will be delivered today, and it is not looking good for those in the dock.
Evidence given during the trial said the Yaohai issued several whistle blasts that Kulemesin said he did not hear. The Hong Kong Marine Department reacted to a red flag warning of the impending collision and issued warnings to both vessels.
The Yaohai master expected to navigate to the left of the Neftegaz-67, but the tug remained in the middle of the channel before turning to port and into the collision.
The tug sank rapidly and only seven of its crew made it out alive. It was a tragedy that gripped Hong Kong for days as salvers battled in severe weather conditions to cut their way into the wreck in a desperate search for survivors trapped in air pockets.
Three bodies were recovered after the collision and 15 were found inside the wreck when it was finally lifted from 37 metres of water.