A former engineering manager at the company that built a ferry involved in one of Hong Kong’s deadliest maritime disasters has admitted during a court inquest that he failed to ensure the accuracy of the vessel’s safety data submitted to the government.
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Cheung Chuen-yau made the comment while testifying at the Coroner’s Court on Friday, the fourth day of what is expected to be a 60-day inquiry into a 2012 maritime disaster that left 39 people dead.
Cheung told the court that he was responsible for ensuring the Lamma IV’s “damage stability”, which refers to a vessel’s ability to stay afloat after sustaining damage, was correctly measured before seeking the Marine Department’s approval to modify the ship in 1998 and 2005.
But the former Cheoy Lee Shipyards worker said he had done nothing but put his faith in his junior colleagues’ calculations, which were generated using software that he admitted he was unsure how to use.
He also said he had never seen the Lamma IV’s layout plans, let alone the discrepancies in some of them about whether a bulkhead separating two of the lower deck’s compartments needed to be watertight.
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The Lamma IV’s hull was damaged by the Sea Smooth passenger ferry in the waters off Lamma Island while carrying 124 HK Electric employees and their relatives to watch the National Day fireworks over Victoria Harbour on October 1, 2012.