A Hong Kong court has sentenced an oil tanker captain to 14 months in prison after he admitted to endangering the safety of others at sea following a fatal collision with a local fishing vessel.
The incident occurred in November 2024, when a mainland-registered oil tanker collided with a fishing boat en route to the Aberdeen Typhoon shelter. The impact caused the fishing vessel to sink, throwing all seven people on board into the sea. Six crew members were rescued, while the fishing boat’s captain went missing and was later found deceased in nearby waters.
Court documents revealed that the tanker had entered Hong Kong waters around 4 a.m. while on a fuel delivery to Huizhou. Radar and visual observations indicated the fishing vessel was approaching the typhoon shelter at the same time. The captain admitted that he saw the fishing vessel’s red light on the starboard side but did not ascertain if anyone was on deck.
Despite using a laser pointer to warn the fishing boat and attempting to reverse the tanker when the vessels came within 50 metres, the captain did not reduce speed in time, and the collision occurred. The tanker crew sounded the alarm after the impact and assisted in the rescue operation.
Investigations following the accident identified multiple breaches of safe navigation practices, including failure to maintain proper lookout and insufficient speed reduction. The court concluded that these actions directly contributed to the fatal outcome.
