Engineering:2014 Po Toi Island ship collision
  Po Toi Island 2014 Po Toi Island ship collision (Hong Kong) | |
| Date | 5 May 2014 |
|---|---|
| Missing | 11 |
| Property damage | Cargo 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
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Lo, Clifford (5 May 2014). "Eleven crewmen missing after cargo vessel sinks in collision with container ship". South China Morning Post. http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1504884/11-crew-missing-after-cargo-vessel-sinks-collision-container-ship. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Woodhouse, Alice (5 May 2014). "Eleven crew missing after ships collide off Hong Kong". Reuters. http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-hongkong-ship-crash-idUKKBN0DL0EW20140505. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "11 Missing After Cargo Ships Collide Near Hong Kong". The New York Times. 5 May 2014. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/06/world/asia/cargo-ships-collide-near-hong-kong.html. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ↑ Campbell, Charlie (5 May 2014). "11 Missing as Cargo Ship Sinks Off Hong Kong". Time (magazine). http://time.com/87509/cargo-ship-zhong-xing-2-sinks-off-hong-kong/. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ↑ Chiu, Joanne (5 May 2014). "11 Missing After Cargo Ship Sinks Near Hong Kong". The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303417104579542964148906216?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303417104579542964148906216.html. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ↑ "11 missing as cargo ship sinks near Hong Kong". Rakyat Post. 5 May 2014. http://www.therakyatpost.com/world/2014/05/05/11-missing-cargo-ship-sinks-near-hong-kong/. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
- ↑ Wang, Yamei (5 May 2014). "Guangdong joins missing crew rescue mission". Xinhuanet. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2014-05/05/c_133310946.htm. Retrieved 5 May 2014.[|permanent dead link|dead link}}]
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Hong Kong harbour crash: 11 feared dead as cargo ship sinks following collision". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 5 May 2014. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/hongkong/10808539/Hong-Kong-harbour-crash-11-feared-dead-as-cargo-ship-sinks-following-collision.html. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
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