2014 Po Toi Island ship collision

2014 Po Toi Island ship collision
2014 Po Toi Island ship collision is located in Hong Kong
Po Toi Island
Po Toi Island
2014 Po Toi Island ship collision (Hong Kong)
Date5 May 2014 (2014-05-05)
Missing11
Property damageCargo ship sunk

On 5 May 2014, the cargo ship Zhong Xing 2 and the container ship MOL Motivator collided off Po Toi Island near Hong Kong, resulting in Zhong Xing 2 sinking. All but one of Zhong Xing 2's twelve-man crew were left missing and presumed dead; a rescue operation was conducted by Chinese authorities, and a fishing vessel rescued one man, Zhong Xing 2's sole survivor.

Background

The accident involved the 300-metre (980 ft),[1] 79,400-ton[2] Mitsui O.S.K. Lines container ship MOL Motivator, registered in the Marshall Islands[1] with a crew of 24,[3] and the 97-metre-long (318 ft)[1] Chinese ship Zhong Xing 2, carrying a cargo of cement with twelve crew.[4] MOL Motivator was travelling from Hong Kong to Yantian,[2] while Zhong Xing 2 was travelling from Hebei to Haikou.[5]

Accident

The collision occurred around 2:30 local time on the morning of 5 May, 3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi) to the southwest of Po Toi Island.[1] Poor visibility has been blamed for the collision, after heavy rain fell through the night,[1] and Hong Kong experienced a "powerful" thunderstorm.[3] Heavy rainfall and lightning may have caused problems with the ships' radars.[3]

Rescue efforts

A fishing vessel passing by rescued a man in his forties[1][3] from mainland China;[3] 25 minutes later,[6] he was taken to Ruttonjee Hospital, Wan Chai, where he was treated for minor scratches.[1]

A rescue attempt spanning naval and aerial searching was launched, co-ordinated by the Guangdong Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre.[1] A fixed-wing aeroplane, seven Hong Kong Marine Police vessels, three fireboats, two diving vessels and a helicopter belonging to the Government Flying Service of Hong Kong,[1] more than ten Chinese vessels,[7] and three Chinese helicopters,[8] were sent in search of the missing vessel. The crew of a helicopter observed an oil slick and floating debris, but no survivors.[1] It is considered possible that the ship sank with only one survivor, the other eleven men trapped on board,[1] and they are "feared dead".[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Lo, Clifford (5 May 2014). "Eleven crewmen missing after cargo vessel sinks in collision with container ship". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  2. ^ a b Woodhouse, Alice (5 May 2014). "Eleven crew missing after ships collide off Hong Kong". Reuters. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e Mullany, Gerry; Bradsher, Keith (5 May 2014). "11 Missing After Cargo Ships Collide Near Hong Kong". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  4. ^ Campbell, Charlie (5 May 2014). "11 Missing as Cargo Ship Sinks Off Hong Kong". Time. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  5. ^ Chiu, Joanne (5 May 2014). "11 Missing After Cargo Ship Sinks Near Hong Kong". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  6. ^ "11 missing as cargo ship sinks near Hong Kong". Rakyat Post. 5 May 2014. Archived from the original on 7 May 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  7. ^ Wang, Yamei (5 May 2014). "Guangdong joins missing crew rescue mission". Xinhuanet. Archived from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  8. ^ a b "Hong Kong harbour crash: 11 feared dead as cargo ship sinks following collision". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2014.