Seaman dies as suspicious blast rocks cargo vessel

Seaman dies as suspicious blast rocks cargo vessel
Leopold Chen 31 Jan 2023 https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/11/249376/Seaman-die...

A 51-year-old mainland seaman died but his 12 colleagues were rescued by firefighters from a blazing cargo vessel in Hong Kong's southern waters yesterday, following an explosion on board.

The cargo vessel caught fire at waters near Hongkong Electric's power plant on Lamma at 8.45 am.

The China-registered Guo Xin 1 entered Hong Kong waters early yesterday, according to the Marine Department.

The Fire Services Department said the vessel was two to three nautical miles - around four to 5.5 kilometers - southwest of Lamma when the fire began.

Initial investigations by the department found that the fire started in the engine room of the vessel when there was no one in the room.

It said the source of the fire could not be found, and the movements of the deceased, Chen, prior to the fire could not be traced, leading officers to conclude the fire might be suspicious.

The other 12, 11 men and a woman, were rescued and the fire was put out at 10.46am.

The department mobilized 14 fire trucks, two ambulances, two fire boats, a diving support vessel and a speed boat, while the Government Flying Service send a helicopter with three crew members for assistance. A helicopter was deployed at 9.54am to the scene but left at 10.19am.

Fire Services said it was a No1 alarm fire, the least serious level on a scale of one to five, with explosion.

Online data reveals that Guo Xin 1 left Shantou, Guangdong, at 3 pm on Sunday and was heading to Jiujiang in Jiangxi.

The vessel is 98 meters long and 16 meters wide, with a displacement tonnage of 3,225 tonnes.

The Marine Department said it had sent officers to the scene after receiving a report on the incident yesterday morning, and it would investigate and follow up the incident.

The case has been transferred to the police for investigation and the cause of the man's death is yet to be determined.

This came as a similar case broke out in waters one nautical mile south of Tiu Chung Chau, Sai Kung, on January 16 last year.

A 15-meter long three-layer diving vessel went up in flames and explosions could be occasionally heard.

The vessel burned and sank, but all 15 passengers boarded lifeboats, safely arriving at the nearby Marine East division police station in Tui Min Hoi, Sai Kung.

The vessel was owned by a diving service company in Tsim Sha Tsui and was carrying passengers from Sai Kung Public Pier for a diving expedition near Basalt Island, a remote island in Sai Kung.