Surely HKKF are insured.

The article quotes the barrister as saying

"5m HK insurance for HK registered vessels is too low"

but that requirement is for ALL VESSELS registered in HK.

Is it possible that you can hold a gov't contract of this kind and not have more than $5M insurance required?

I wouldn't mourn the loss of HKKF for a moment.
A real tragedy, in the case that the ferry company carries insufficient insurance coverage, would be for the families who would struggle to recover due compensation.

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Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
----- Margaret Mead

All the dead were on the HKE ferry, and probably were HKE employees or their families. So I'm pretty sure they will be covered one way or another. HKE would pay and then sue HKKF.

Then we, as commuters, will end up paying more.

And Yu Lai Fan will probably use this to press for her reclamation ("so emergency vehicles can get to the pier immediately") and her bike parking platform.

You're probably right. But where would the emergency vehicles take the injured? If it were me I'd rather not be taken to our medical clinic. Or does she also have plans to upgrade it?

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Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.

The clinic is useless as it only has a doctor for 40 hours a week. Even when he's there he is only authorised to dispense pills.

The problem is the Health Authority expects all casualties to be delivered to a district hospital within 10 minutes. So clinics don't have any need or capacity to do real emergency care. Problem is our district hospital is at QMH (or even more ridiculously, Cheung Chau). So you can and will die if they can't get you there due to bad weather. If there had been a storm on 1st October, even if they had got survivors to shore they would not have been able to give them any care.

It's clear that the captain was not watching in the final 10-15 or 20 seconds before impact.... The HKKF ferry did not slow or even turn before the crash! So what was going on inside the control room? We're they playing cards? Gambling perhaps!! Or just lost in conversation? Why are the entire crew in the 1 small room?

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Sabe 1

[...]

Aberdeen - Lamma Mtr spur line perhaps!

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Sabe 1

The GM of HKKF stated that the captain was alone in the wheelhouse at the time of the accident... Can anyone confirm this? Did the ferry crew come down the stairs after the crash or were they already at their positions? Should be an easy way to tell if there is a cover up being attempted here.

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Sabe 1

your flag looks like goatse

Nothing is clear. You're veering into wild speculation here. Wait for the enquiry, please.

From most of the HKKF witness accounts it seems the HKKF ferry was holding straight. If the Lamma IV was coming from Lamma pier and proceeding to the fireworks it must have been crossing from left to right from the perspective of the ferry. Yet it was hit on the port side. There is a possibility therefore that the skipper of the Lamma IV spun around instead of staying on course and this is what caught the ferry skipper unawares. Also we must not discount engine failure on the Lamma IV. Looks like arrogance or inattention played a part though.

As far as I understand, the liability of the ferry is limited because it is a regular service covered by International Convention. The Lamma IV's liability is greater, but restricted by its share capital. It is common for large conglomorates to park their liabilities in independent companies with small capitalization. I believe the capitalisation of the company owning Lamma IV is only around $58 million - or about $0.5m per passenger (actually after taking away the hull loss it probably doesn't even have this).

Too early to talk about compensation I know - but these things take an inevitable course.

That made me laugh. Out loud

Ok, let the barracks lawyers at it.

http://www.legislation.gov.hk/blis_ind. ... 29.1#329.1