US Navy evacuating virus-struck aircraft carrier Roosevelt

Yahoo – AFP, Paul HANDLEY, April 1, 2020

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper says he does not see US military adversaries
taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to threaten the United States (AFP
Photo/Brendan Smialowski)

The US Navy is evacuating thousands of sailors from the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in Guam after its captain warned a coronavirus outbreak was threatening the lives of the crew.

With dozens of COVID-19 cases discovered, a senior official said the navy was rapidly arranging hotel rooms on the Pacific island for many of the 4,000-plus crew, while organizing a skeleton team of uninfected sailors to keep the ship operational.

Pentagon officials admitted the Roosevelt's plight was a challenge for military readiness, noting that defense forces worldwide are equally confronted by the pandemic.

"The plan at this time is to remove as many people off the Teddy Roosevelt as we can, understanding that we have to leave a certain amount of folks on-board to perform normal watch-standing duties that keep the ship running," Rear Admiral John Menoni, commander for the Marianas region, told reporters in Guam on Wednesday.

Earlier this week the captain told the Pentagon that the new coronavirus was spreading uncontrollably through his ship and called for immediate help to quarantine its crew.

"The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating," Captain Brett Crozier wrote in a letter to superiors.

"We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die," he pleaded.

"Removing the majority of personnel from a deployed US nuclear aircraft carrier and isolating them for two weeks may seem like an extraordinary measure," Crozier said. "This is a necessary risk."

Hotels in Guam

Menoni said a plan was being developed to get as many sailors off the ship as possible, and they were awaiting the arrival of 40 US Marines health specialists to help in testing.

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper says he does not see US military adversaries 

taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to threaten the United States (AFP 

Photo/Brendan Smialowski)

He said only sailors deemed healthy would be housed outside the Guam naval base, a strategically important Pentagon port in the middle of the western Pacific Ocean.

"No one is allowed off the base unless they have tested negative for COVID-19," Menoni said.

Crozier did not give the number of infections aboard the ship, and the Navy is not offering figures for security reasons.

But one official said it was fewer than the 100 reported by US media.

More than 1,400 Defense Department employees, contractors and dependents have been infected by the novel coronavirus, including 771 military personnel, the Pentagon said.

Balancing health and security

The Roosevelt's docking in Guam on March 28 left both of the Pentagon's western Pacific aircraft carriers in port, with the USS Ronald Reagan berthed in Japan, also reportedly suffering an unknown number of coronavirus cases.

On Tuesday Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly admitted it was a challenge for US forces' defense readiness.

"This is a unique circumstance and we're working through it, and trying to maintain that proper balance, to ensure our friends and allies, and most importantly our foes and adversaries out there, understand that we are not standing down," he told CNN.

"We have the responsibility to protect the seas and to protect our friends and allies around the world. We have to adjust the best way we can to do that."

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he did not see anyone testing US military readiness amid the pandemic.

"Not at this time," he said on Tuesday.

"What we find, tend to find right now, it's that a lot of countries have turned inward and are focusing inward," he said.

Hoping for a fresh sea breeze aboard a cruise ship? Better hold your nose!

French TV journalists have secretly measured the air quality on a cruise ship. The results are devastating: The air is significantly worse polluted than it would be in thick urban traffic.

Deutsche Welle, 26 January 2017

Cruises are increasingly popular among today's tourists. They offer relaxation with 24-hour service for stressed out office workers.

Forget about searching for the perfect, pristine beach - which most people will never find, anyhow. Instead, just go to the pool on the upper deck, enjoy some tasty drinks and take in breathtaking views of the ocean from high above. For people who need less contemplation, cruises offer theater and show performances, generous meals, bars and shopping opportunities.

That doesn't mean you're in for a boring vacation: Adventure comes as part of the risk free deal. Even frail seniors can now feel like mystic characters such as Long John Silver from Treasure Island or real explorers like Roald Amundsen - be it by cruising the romantic Carribean, visiting savage South Sea islands or admiring polar bears on impenetrable arctic shores. Finally you can do something for your health by going to the ship's gym and getting a good work out.

Tourists want to enjoy themselves - and the fresh sea breeze.

But you better think twice about taking a deep breath. The German Environmental Association "Naturschutzbund Deutschland"(NABU) now warns that it is more likely you inhale polluted air than a fresh breeze. NABU says that it cannot recommend any of the large European cruise ships.

"Pamphlets lead you to believe that there are blue skies and white ships - a dream-like setting," Daniel Rieger, who is in charge of transportation policies at NABU, said. "The truth is that clouds of black soot are emitted from the funnels."

Measuring results are worse than expected

Recent measurements of actual air quality onboard a cruise ship seem to support NABU's view. French TV journalists from broadcaster France 3 conducted covert measurements while on a cruise. They boarded a ship in Marseille for a cruise of the Mediterranean.

Results show that "the shipping companies are exposing their travelers to high concentrations of harmful substances," NABU managing director Leif Miller concluded.

Even environmentalists were surprised by the high concentrations that the journalists detected. Right after leaving Marseille, air pollution was roughly 200 times that of a heavily trafficked urban street.

Besides fine dust and soot, the combustion of marine diesel fuel and heavy oil also set free other harmful substances such as nitrogen oxides and heavy metals.

Former captain and ship broker Helge Grammerstorf, who is the German national director of the Cruise Lines International Association CLIA, defends his industry. He told the daily "Hamburger Abendblatt:" "We don't know these measurements. The claim is completely unsubstantiated."

Grammerstorf argues that the measurements were taken only selectively and that one would need to run a more systematic test to collect data over a longer time period.

Hardly noticeable for passengers

"The passengers can only smell or see the particles before they get mixed up with the ambient air," NABU spokesman Rieger said after the France 3 test results were published.

He argued that it wouldn't take the shipping companies much to change the pollution and to increase comfort. "Even switching from marine diesel fuel or heavy oil to regular road diesel fuel would make a big difference," he said.

In addition, it wouldn't be too hard to install effective exhaust cleaning systems, according to NABU. Such systems have long existed with established standards for trucks and trains.

"The question is whether the industry deliberately looks the other way," Dietmar Oellinger - NABU's transport expert - said.

He suggested that the tests taken by the French journalists were merely an example and could possibly be representative for the entire cruise ship industry.

"The reality is black soot from the chimneys," NABU environmentalists say.

"We should ask how much more proof the industry needs before they finally take action," Oellinger said.

Some cruise lines have pledged to install particle filters, but so far, there are none in use.

Covert measuring only in the harbor

Previously, NABU has only had the opportunity to measure harmful ultra fine dust particles in the air around cruise ships in harbors. They have done so in Hamburg, Venice and the north-eastern German city of Rostock-Warnemünde. The ship owners did not allow the environment agency to take measurements on board, Daniel Rieger said.

The results were devastating nonetheless: In all cases the ships were burning off heavy oil. Four of five ships were not equipped with any exhaust gas cleaning or they were only fulfilling the lowest legal standard for northern Europe - a system that only reduces sulfur oxide emissions.

Technical solutions to reduce particle and nitrogen oxide emissions have long been on the market, though. Therefore, NABU argues, not implementing them is largely due to greed. It would cost money to install the system and furthermore require the companies to use more expensive types of fuel.

Almost as dangerous as asbestos

The German Lung Foundation already recommended several years ago that people with chronic respiratory diseases only stay on certain parts of the deck when on a cruise ship and thus avoide breathing in the ship's exhaust.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has concluded that diesel exhaust is just as carcinogenic as asbestos. The ultrafine particles, which are smaller than 0.1 micrometer can get into the smallest pulmonary alveoli and from there into the blood stream and other organs.

NABU manager Leif Miller argues it's cynical that the cruise ship companies "pay huge sums to improve entertainment and gastronomical services on board, but save as much as they can when it comes to environmental protection."

Meanwhile, in Germany the cruise ship industry is getting ready for the next season: In Warnemünde, Hamburg and Kiel alone, more than two million passengers are expected to board the giants of the seas in 2017.

Related Articles:

Maritime countries agree first ever shipping emissions regulation

Dutch ports to reward environmentally ‘clean’ ships

Shipping to steer cleaner carbon course

Antarctic nations plan tough new shipping controls

Proposal mandates stricter pollution controls for ships

The 16 Ships Create As Much Pollution As All Cars in The World

Hong Kong captain jailed for 8 years over ferry tragedy

Yahoo – AFP, February 16, 2015

Hong Kong captain jailed for 8 years over ferry tragedy

Hong Kong (AFP) - A Hong Kong boat captain was on Monday sentenced to eight years in prison for the manslaughter of 39 people in a 2012 ferry collision, the city's worst maritime disaster in nearly four decades.

Sea Smooth skipper Lai Sai Ming, 56, was found guilty on Saturday following a trial that gripped the city, over the accident between his high-speed ferry and a pleasure boat near Lamma Island.

"I have concluded you should go to prison for eight years," judge Brian Keith told a court.

"You were in command of a fast ferry, not a small pleasure boat. You knew if you didn't check for the presence of other vessels you would be risking lives... your conduct that night fell way below the standard of professionalism," he said.

"The case has been personal tragedy for your and your family but that cannot begin to compare with the unimaginable grief to those who lost their loved ones," he said, as Lai listened from the dock with his head lowered.

Lai was jailed for a further 18 months for endangering the safety of others at sea, but the terms will be served concurrently.

Chow Chi-wai, 58, who was piloting the leisure boat Lamma IV with 120 people on board in the collision, was jailed for nine months for endangering others' safety at sea. He was acquitted of all 39 charges of manslaughter.

His lawyer Gerard McCoy said that, after the October 1, 2012 incident, Chow "has deep, abiding fear of the sea" and cannot go on ferries anymore.

Saturday's verdict came after a nine-member jury deliberated for four days following a 60-day trial.

Irene Cheng, who lost her 24-year-old son in the accident, told AFP that the sentences could not bring back the families' loved ones.

"I respect the court decision. But even if they were given a death penalty it cannot compensate... his life will not return and my family will never be the same," she said.

The collision raised questions over safety in the crowded waters of Hong Kong, one of the world's busiest ports, with an inquiry pointing to a "litany of errors" that caused the disaster.

Victims could have had vital extra minutes to escape if the Lamma IV had been equipped with a watertight door, while several were actually left trapped when seats fell on top of them, the inquiry found.

The boat also had no children's life jackets onboard when it sank, claiming the lives of eight youngsters.

It was the city's most serious maritime accident since 1971, when a ferry between Hong Kong and Macau sank off the island of Lantau during a typhoon, killing 88 people.

Related Article:

Costa Concordia captain Schettino sentenced to 16 years

Ferry disaster survivors describe chaos and panic

Yahoo – AFP, Ljubomir Milasin, 30 Dec 2014

A survivor of the Norman Atlantic hugs her children after arriving at the
 Elefsina military airport in Athens on December 29, 2014 (AFP)

Survivors of the Norman Atlantic ferry disaster described chaos, panic, and anger as they sought to escape the vessel after it burst into flames in stormy weather Sunday.

"It was panic because there were over 400 of us who were all supposed to use the same emergency exit," Greek passenger Urania Thireou told AFP at a hotel in the Italian port city of Brindisi, after waiting 23 hours on the burning ship to be rescued.

"There were crew members around, but even they were panicked (because) it was impossible to organise so many people," Thireou said.

A photo grab from a video by the Marina

 Militare Italiana on December 29, 2014,

shows the rescue operation of passengers

by helicopter from the Norman Atlantic,

adrift in the Adriatic Sea off Albania

She said her own salvation came from feeling "anger that gave me the force to stay alive."

French passenger Philippe Moyses gave an equally emotional account of "terror" amid the disaster, during which he "looked death in the face" in a way that has deeply marked him.

"This morning I got up (after) sleeping like a log, I sat on the edge of the bed, and... I just started crying," Moyses, a 62-year-old resident of Bordeaux, said from his hotel after being among the last passengers lifted by helicopter from the burning ferry.

Thireou said the lack of coordination aboard in responding in the emergency early on was the most critical failing in the catastrophe, which as of Tuesday afternoon had claimed a provisional total of 13 lives.

"At the start, there were people who got into the biggest lifeboat," she told AFP of the amorphous rushing of passengers. "They got it into the water, but we were told afterwards that they were not rescued."

Despite that news and the bleak situation aboard the Norman Atlantic, Thireou says she quickly focused all her energy and emotions on surviving the calamity.

"I wasn't scared of dying then, (and) I understood that I had to remain positive," Thireou says.

"I was also angry, and this anger kept me alive (and) gave me strength, though I lost that courage when night fell."

Look death in the face

Moyses similarly described an atmosphere of growing dread as passengers counted hours ticking by during the long and laborious rescue operation.

"There were 30 men left to evacuate at the end," the Frenchman recalled. "There were flames under the floorboards. I nearly passed out, and they lifted me out by helicopter.

Rescued passenger of the Norman Atlantic 

accident Marko Gondolo, 40, holds his

 daughter Serafina, 5, at the airport in 

Elefsina, Greece, on December 29, 2014

"I'm completely emptied -- it was terrible. But it was when only 30 of us were left that we looked death in the face and said, 'That's it, we're going to make it out of this'," Moyses said, his eyes becoming moist with emotion again.

Moyses, one of ten French passengers on the ferry, paid tribute to the Italian military helicopter pilots who performed rescue flights in the midst of a violent storm, often at night, and at times as heavy black smoke billowed around the ship.

Thireou was also quick to thank rescuers, authorities involved, and in particular "the truck drivers aboard who tried several times, black with smoke, to hook the rescue tug's cable to the ferry."

Two Albanian sailors died when one of those cables snapped during rescue operations.

Wearing Red Cross-supplied slippers because all his luggage was lost in the ferry fire, Moyses said moves were afoot to get him outfitted again.

"I'm going with the (French) ambassador to buy shoes," he said, leaving his hotel to meet with diplomats who have assisted French nationals as they were brought from the ferry back to land.

Related Articles:

Dual criminal investigations launched into Adriatic ferry tragedy

Albanian sailors killed during ferry rescue operation

Burning ferry to be towed to Italy as rescue airlifts continue

Safety standards on passenger ships

Safety standards on passenger ships

Passenger ships are monitored regularly following international standards for the safety of passengers and crew. Minimum standards were put in place more than a century ago, after the sinking of the Titanic.

Deutsche Welle, 29 Dec 2014

When was the first convention for the safety at sea created?

The first convention originated in the wake of the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912. An international conference was called in November 1913, aimed at creating international minimum standards for the safety at sea. A first version of the "International Treaty for the Safety of Life at Sea" (SOLAS) was compiled, and has since been repeatedly updated. The London-based International Maritime Organization (IMO) has held responsibility for the treaty since 1960; currently a 1974 version is in place. The IMO depends on mutual decisions by its members, so change often takes quite some time. The most recent amendment entered into force on January 1, 2013.

How are safety regulations monitored?

In 1993, the IMO adopted the International Management Code for the Safe Operations of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (ISM Code). The code defines what needs to be done to guarantee safe operation of a ship. Every ship owner and operator commits to compiling a set of documents known as the Safety Management System (SMS). They are bound to enforce the regulations, and check compliance. As a rule, the state under whose flag the vessel sails authorizes a recognized Classification Society to survey compliance. The Adria Norman Atlantic, which caught fire on Sunday morning, was last inspected five months ago.

When does inspection begin, and what doe monitors check?

The burning Ferry was finally evacuated

Inspection begins with the construction of the ship. The Classification Society checks building materials and components, and watches over the construction the on the wharf. Once the vessel is finished, the rescue and safety technology is tested. After the ship has been cleared, the Classification Society checks it on an annual basis. The state of the ship is thus constantly documented.

What happens after the inspection?

Port State Control gives a ship that meets all the requirements a class "A" document. If there are defects, they are noted in the inspection report along with the measures needed to correct the problems. Finally, the ship's data and the inspection report findings are transmitted to a central electronic data bank in Lisbon. If a ship does not meet the safety requirements, local authorities have the right to prevent it from leaving port. After the cruise liner Costa Concordia ran aground on rocks, numerous major shipping companies committed to stricter self inspection and higher safety standards.

How are safety standards ranked among various states that have ships sailing under their flag?

The Costa Concordia, shipwrecked
off the Italian coast

The Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Port State Control takes care of that. It was created at France's initiative after the oil tanker Amoco Cadiz sank off the coast of Brittany in 1978. The memorandum has 27 signatories. Every year, the Paris MOU specifies the states' safety levels in "white", "grey" and "black" lists. According to the most recent list, published in July, France has the safest ships, followed by Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Germany ranks ninth. The poorest performing flags are the island nation of Dominica, Honduras and the United Republic of Tanzania.

How many passenger ships sank over the past years?

Insurers "Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty" document the loss of 90 passenger ships from 2001to 2012. They didn't all necessarily sink, however: the figure documents their final failure. Losses have dropped significantly in the past eight years. While more than ten ships were lost annually until 2006, that figure decreased to six ships that were written off every year over the past six years.

When a ship threatens to sink - on average, how long does it take to evacuate?

According to the SOLAS accord, lifeboats must be ready to be boarded and launched at the latest 30 minutes after the captain has given the appropriate signal. Within this time frame, they must also reach an acceptable safety distance from the ship in distress. Since 2002, cruise ships must be fully evacuated within 80 minutes. The Adria Norman Atlantic's disaster off the Greek coast shows, however, that this time frame is exceeded many times over if conditions are unfavorable.

Related Article:

Burning ferry to be towed to Italy as rescue airlifts continue

Burning ferry to be towed to Italy as rescue airlifts continue

A ferry which set on fire during its journey from Greece to Italy is to be towed to Italy's mainland. One person has died, with hundreds more are still stranded on the ship in the Adriatic Sea.

Deutsche Welle, 28 Dec 2014

Italian officials said the Noram atlantic ferry would probably be taken to either Brindisi or Otranto on Italy's southern coast once towing cables could be securely attached.

Airlifts were also set to continue throughout Sunday night whilst the boat was towed towards mainland Italy.

The Italian navy said that two Italian air force helicopters, one Greek Superpuma helicopter, and an Italian plane were continuing to take part in the rescue, pulling up passengers in small groups. Other aircraft and 10 ships were also taking part in the operation in support roles.

Throughout Sunday, firefighting vessels and helicopters from Greece and Italy were sent to the scene as part of a rescue operation coordinated by Italy. Efforts were hindered, however, by extreme weather conditions.

One death

Italian Coast Guard official Giovanni Pettorino confirmed earlier on Sunday that one person had died during the rescue operation and another had been injured - both of whom were transported by Italian rescuers to the country's mainland.

The Italian-flagged ANEK Lines ferry is thought to have set ablaze after a fire broke out in the lower deck garage of the boat in the early hours of Sunday morning. At the time the ferry was about 44 nautical miles off the coast of Corfu, after leaving the Greek port of Patras en route to Ancona in Italy.

Intense heat

Hundreds were left stranded on smoke-filled top decks as the fire spread throughout the vessel. Passengers contacted Greek television stations via mobile phone to describe their horror as high winds, rain and violent seas lashed the burning ferry. Various passengers also reported that the heat was so intense that shoes had started to melt.

In total, there were 478 passengers and crew aboard the ship, around 234 of whom were said to be Greek. According to the German Foreign Office, 18 Germans were also on board.

ksb/es (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)

Related Articles:

Ferry disaster survivors describe chaos and panic

Dual criminal investigations launched into Adriatic ferry tragedy

Albanian sailors killed during ferry rescue operation

Burning ferry to be towed to Italy as rescue airlifts continue

Safety standards on passenger ships

Bangladesh river ferry capsizes with around 200 people on board

A ferry carrying around 200 passengers has capsized in central Bangladesh. A rescue operation was ongoing and it wasn't immediately clear whether there were any fatalities.

Deutsche Welle, 4 Aug 2014

Workers from the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, firefighters and soldiers were reported to be involved in the rescue operation on the River Padma, 30 kilometers (18 miles) southwest of the capital, Dhaka.

Local police chief Tofazzal Hossain said that many of the passengers had been rescued and some were thought to have been able to swim to safety. However, many others were feared trapped or drowned.

It wasn't immediately clear what caused the mishap, but the police chief said there may have been a couple of factors involved.

"We have heard that the ferry was overloaded with passengers and the river was rough," Hossain told the AFP news agency.

The number of passengers on board the vessel also wasn't clear, with estimates ranging between 170 and 250.

Ferry accidents are relatively common in Bangladesh, and overloading is often at least partially to blame.

A similar accident occurred in May, when more than 50 people died after a ferry capsized with around 200 people on board.

pfd/kms (AFP, Reuters, AP, dpa)

Related Article:

Disaster turns spotlight on ferry safety in Bangladesh

An Urgent Call for Reform in Indonesian Boat Safety

Deadly Waters: Despite the alarming number of fatalities from accidents at sea, no steps are being made to prevent further deaths

Jakarta Globe, Kennial Caroline Laia, Aug 03, 2014

Relatives go through a list of casualties from a boat accident in Panai Hilir, North
 Sumatra, one in a alarming string of similar incidents during the Idul Fitri week.
(EPA Photo/Adil Situmorang)

Jakarta. Urgent reform in the Indonesian maritime transportation system is needed after a recent string of fatal boat accidents, analysts say, adding that the incoming Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla government should make the issue a priority.

“Our sea transportation system needs an immediate fix. If the government continues to neglect it, boat accidents in our waters will happen again and again,” Suyono Dikun, transportation expert with the University of Indonesia, told the Jakarta Globe.

At least 50 people have died and dozens remain missing in four boat accidents that occurred in the past week across the archipelago. Officials have admitted that aside from rough waters, most of the incidents were caused by overcapacity.

A boat carrying at least 51 people sank in waters between South Sulawesi and Selayar Islands on Wednesday.

Seventeen people are now known to have died in the accident, which marks the end of a tragic week in the country’s maritime transportation system.

On July 28, the first day of this year’s Idul Fitri, two people died and two remain missing after a ferry sank in the Nabire district of Papua.

The following day, a ferry carrying some 70 travelers across a Kalimantan river sank, with the final death toll put at 18.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), told state-run Antara news agency on Wednesday that the boat had been carrying more than double its maximum capacity.

On Wednesday, a fishing boat sank in Berombang river, located in the Labuhan Batu district of North Sumatra, claiming 13 lives — 10 of whom were children.

Last week at least three people died after an overloaded boat ferrying Indonesians home for the coming Idul Fitri holiday sank off southern Malaysia.

Three bodies were recovered, 10 people were rescued and eight more remained missing in the incident. The boat — carrying 21 Indonesian undocumented migrant workers — capsized and sank in rough seas off Malaysia’s Johor state, said Iskandar Ishak, the local head of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, as quoted by AFP. Officials added that the boat had a capacity of just eight passengers.

Suyono blamed the government for the alarming number of disasters across Indonesian seas that could have been prevented, saying that state policies on safety in water transportation and their enforcement were far from sufficient to protect passengers.

Additionally, boat operators seem to lack concern over their customers’ safety, loading as many passengers as possible for profit, regardless of the vessel’s capacity.

“The government did not place transportation safety as a priority in its policy. Meanwhile, most Indonesian boat crews take safety precautions very lightly. For them, safety is a trivial factor in their business,” Suyono said. “Despite the accidents and resulting casualties, boat companies, their crew and the government have not done anything to improve the situation.”

He also pointed out that the Indonesian government has never allocated a special budget to improve the safety equipment on board boats and trains, nor are their employees trained on crucial, life-saving safety procedures.

“As far as money is concerned, I have never heard of the government distributing funds for any sort of safety features on boats,” Suyono said.

Danang Parikesit, former chairman of the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI), said that sea transportation was more prone to accidents than other modes of travel, due largely to a lack of supervision from the government.

“State management and supervision is close to nonexistent. In the context of the country’s transportation system, safety equipment is not a priority, nor is the routine inspection of these equipment,” he said. “In addition, our evacuation procedures — which include the handling of victims — are far from meeting international standards. That is the main factor for the high number of casualties in boat accidents.

“This is beyond critical. MTI’s study in 2008 shows that compared to other countries in the world, our government has failed to pay attention toward the safety in the sea or river transportation,” he said.

Danang pointed out that the small amount of media coverage on boat accidents contributed to the public and the government’s low level of awareness concerning water transportation.

“The media rarely covers boat accidents. Most report only on large incidents, so many tragic occurrences actually go undetected by the public,” Danang said.

“The media should be more proactive in writing or reporting on stories related to water transportation in Indonesia in order to put more pressure on the government,” he added. “Even after all the horrific accidents that occurred these past two months, our officials are still not taking action.”

Meanwhile, Danang said, most boat operators continue operating despite having little to no understanding of the necessary safety features and procedures that may save passengers in case of an accident.

“Most of these companies don’t even equip their vessels with sufficient safety gear,” he said.

Despite the pressing need for improvement in safety standards and the skills of boat personnel, inaction, little concern and a lack of understanding continue to be a detrimental force between the two entities that have the power to change the increasingly alarming situation: the government and transportation operators.

“In the past five years, no significant steps have been made to prevent accidents at sea. No attention has been made to safety. There has been no improvement at all,” Danang said.

“I urge the new government to take the necessary steps in preventing further calamities at sea by not only tightening rules and regulations concerning water transportation, but also improving on the meager supply of safety equipment [on board vessels],” he added.

Both Suyono and Danang called on the incoming Joko-Kalla administration to prioritize sea transportation over other forms of travel, pointing to the fact that Indonesia is an archipelago.

“With thousands of islands separated by water, the transportation system in this sector should be placed at the government’s ‘to do’ list ,” said Danang.

Suyono hopes the president-elect will tackle the issue before more Indonesians fall victim to negligence at sea.

“The outgoing administration has failed in protecting its travelers. But this could be a lesson for the next government. They need to address the situation as soon as possible,” he said.

Captain says warnings over Korean ferry ignored

Yahoo – AFP, Park Chan-Kyong

A relative of a victims of the Sewol ferry disaster weeps before yellow

ribbons at Jindo harbour, on April 27, 2014 (AFP Photo/Ed Jones)

Seoul (AFP) - A probe into South Korea's ferry disaster has heard that warnings over the ship's seaworthiness were ignored, prosecutors said Wednesday, as rescuers worked to recover more than 90 people still missing two weeks after it sank.

The confirmed death toll from the accident stood at 210, with 92 unaccounted for, the coastguard said, with divers pushing deeper into the submerged vessel's interior in their search for bodies.

The recovery operation has stalled in recent days because of strong currents and debris blocking access to some of the cabin decks.

A handout picture taken on April 29, 2014

 showing President Park Geun-Hye paying

her respects in front of a memorial for

victims of ferry disaster (AFP Photo)

Prosecutors investigating the disaster on Tuesday questioned the regular captain of the 6,825-tonne Sewol, who was on leave when it capsized April 16 with 476 people on board -- most of them high school students.

Senior Prosecutor Yang Jong-Jin said the captain, identified only as Shin, told investigators that he had warned the shipping company of serious stability problems with the Sewol.

The Chonghaejin Marine Co. purchased the then-18 year old ferry from Japan in 2012 and refurbished it, building extra passenger cabins on the third, fourth and fifth decks.

Shin said the renovations altered the balance of the ship and undermined its anti-rolling ability.

When he advised the company about the problems, his warnings were brushed aside, he told investigators.

The precise cause of the accident is still under investigation, but experts have suggested a sharp turn may have caused its cargo to shift, and the ferry to list irretrievably to one side before capsizing.

Kim Han-Sik, the CEO of Chonghaejin Marine, was summoned to the prosecutors' office Tuesday in the port city of Incheon, from where the ill-fated ferry departed bound for Jeju island.

Kim, 71, issued a tearful apology for the "horrible tragedy" the day after the accident, saying he and other company officials were responsible for a "grave sin" in letting it happen.

In Shin's absence, the Sewol was skippered by captain Lee Joon-Seok, who is now under arrest along with 14 crew members.

The coastguard released a video earlier this week showing Lee scrambling to safety as hundreds of his passengers remained trapped inside the ferry.

Public disgust at the behaviour of the crew has been matched by the anger of the victims' relatives with the official response to the disaster.

President Park Geun-Hye apologised on Tuesday for her government's failure to combat systemic and regulatory "evils" that may have contributed to the accident and for the "insufficient first response."

A screen grab taken on April 28, 2014 showing the "Sewol's" captain Lee

Joon-Seok (centre R) being rescued on April 16, 2014 (AFP Photo)

But many of the victims' families rejected her apology, which was made during a meeting with her cabinet ministers.

"An apology made before several cabinet members behind closed doors cannot be considered an apology," said Yoo Gyeong-Geun, the spokesman for a group of around 100 families who issued a statement demanding a thorough probe into the rescue operation.

The tragedy has proved a challenge for Park, who has built a reputation for strong leadership since taking office just over a year ago, but is sometimes criticised for being aloof and domineering.

On Tuesday, Park visited a memorial to the young victims of the disaster in Ansan city, where the high school that had 325 students on board the Sewol is located.

She was heckled during her visit by some family members who also turned away wreaths donated by the president and other senior officials.

Related Article:

Ferry disaster: South Korea's president apologises for official failings