BY GWEN YAMB
This is a story from my younger brother,who was on board MV Rabaul Queen when disaster struck.
Just brief.
There were actually 780 passengers on board. 420 from Rabaul/Kavieng /Buka and 360 from Kimbe. OVERLOAD stret.
Mostly young children ,mothers and students. There weren't any emergency procedures or demonstrations when they got on the ship and the shipping agency didn’t limit passenger intakes.
Due to the bad weather and high seas the ship tipped over towards the right hand side and ONLY the fit and the ones outside the landing jumped off for their lives ,the ones in the cabins couldn’t due to time limitations and panic. It took 2 minutes for the ship to sink.The first 109 survivors was rescued by a North Korean/Mongolian ocean liner on its way to Australia. The rest was from a local boat.None of it was Australian Army or PNG navy nor the disaster authority boats. The newspapers raft boat pictures not all true.
Don’t believe what the media is saying. BullSh!t PNG media and Australian Media personal.
My sincere condolence to the families of those not found .My prayers with you all.
I'm still missing a high school friend and room mate -Kolish Wutgah……..who left behind 3 sons to go to school -Lae Tech. Hope they find her.
It was unrealistic to think that anyone from more than 1,000 Km could get to the location of a sinking ship when it went down in 2 minutes.
ReplyDeleteHow the ferry captain could have permitted this overload, and to have no safety drill or prior warning is beyond my imagination.
There are absolutely no words to describe this shocking and profoundly reckless risk taken by the captain of the vessel, and, the tragic loss of life of so many innocent people, men women, children and babies, in such circumstance.
PNG marine authorities should now wake up and do their job. inspect all shipping companies before the passenger ferries carry the passengers. we are not their animals and they are transporting us on those second hand ferries on these rough PNG waters. wake up marine authorities.
ReplyDeleteUndoubtedly there would have been many, many more pax aboard then figures 'advised' in reports. Also, highly unlikely to have been any meaningful manifest.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised that a disaster of this magnitude has not occurred in PNG waters before this. I have watched embarkations/disembarkations from ferry vessels of both the illustrious brothers; have marvelled at obvious deficiencies/faults in vessel structures and, have often heard smarter people then I point out that vessels designed for operations in the Sea of Japan simply are not suitable for the open water operations of PNG.
isn't the captain obliged to stay on the ship until the last on the passengers have gone over board? And why on earth did the captain set sail when there were strong wind warnings. Kolish is a sister to me and all those trainee teachers are my colleagues. The other passangers are my country man, we are Papuan New Guieans. THESE are our wantoks. All those responsible must pay the full consiquences for their actions. We will not rest until we get to the bottom of this..GOD'S grace be with those yet to be found And comfort to us all...
ReplyDeleteIt is so frustrating and painful, having lost our fellow Country men, women and innocent children who perished the worst ever, Maritime Disastrous Incident in our countrie;s history. Come on, this is PNG, We are a Family and this hurts everyone regardless of different provinces, regions we're from. The thing that is still boiling really hot within many people right now is; Why! Why???! didn't Peter Sharp and his Captain simply cancel the trip, having known that the weather was really bad. PNG Maritime Authorities must now wake up from their long sleep, improve Maritime industry. Government must now stop this political impasse and concerntrate in improving better basic services to the people in both rural and urban centres and more even; taking extra care and precautions over this young Nation.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading these stories from the newspapers with tears in my eyes. Our family friends lost their mother n their last born sister on the sunken Rabaul Queen, up until now their bodies never been found. The mother, her name is Paluka was accompanying her last born daughter, her name is Sasha to attend Coronation College in Lae. The lady is from Rabaul and is married to Manus. On Thursday, 02/02/12, at around 2am in the early hours of the morning, I had a bad dream, I dreamt that I was driving with my kids on board, when a car ran in my lane and bumped my car and my car fell off the cliff with all my children. I screamed very loudly calling my first born daughter's name. I woke up with tears in my eyes and started crying, I thought it was real. Then in the arvo of the same day, news went out that MV Rabaul Queen had sunk. What a coincidence! My heart goes out to the family of Aunty Paluka of vunavulila village of the north coast area of Rabaul and her daughter, Sasha. May the Good Lord comfort you all in these time of lossing your loved ones. May the O'neil/ Namah traim na luksave lo ol hevi iwok lo kamap. God speaks to us through nature.
ReplyDeleteThe greed for money and profits have blinded the Shipping company owners Mr. Peter Sharp, who has seemingly employed unprofessional idiots who have overlooked and broken maritime safety laws as they seem to see people boarding the boat as a mere number who make up the tally on the boarding sheet. You greedy bastards and inhumane turds, these are human beings, lives, people with family and loved one's who depend on them and now because of this tradegy that could have been avoided, their lives are lost forever and their families are torn forever.
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