M/V al-Salam Boccaccio 98

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M/V al-Salam Boccaccio 98
Shipbuilder: Italcantieri S.p.A., Castellammare di Stabia, Italy
Ordered:  ?
Laid down:  ?
Launched: 8 June 1969
Delivered: 30 June 1970
Fate: Sunk on 3 February 2006 1014 confirmed dead
General Characteristics
after rebuild in 1991
Displacement: 11799 Gross Register Tonnage
5555 Net Register Tonnage
2200 Deadweight Tonnage
Length: 130.99 m
Beam: 23.6 m
Draft: 5.9 m
Propulsion: 2×9 cylinder GMT-Fiat diesels
16 560 kW (22,207.32 hp)
Speed: 19 knots (35.18 km/h)
Complement: 105 crew
Passengers: 1,310
Car capacity: 320

The M/V al-Salam Boccaccio 98 (Arabic: Salam سلام means "peace") was an Egyptian ROPAX (passenger/roll on-roll off) ferry, operated by El Salam Maritime Transport, that sank on 3 February 2006 in the Red Sea en route from Duba, Saudi Arabia, to Safaga in southern Egypt.

Its last known position was 100 km (62 miles) from Duba, when it lost contact with the shore at about 22:00 EET (20:00 UTC).[1]

The ship was carrying 1,312 passengers and 96 crew members, according to Mamdouh Ismail, head of al-Salaam Maritime Transport Company.[2] Earlier an Egyptian embassy spokesman in London had referred to 1,310 passengers and 105 crew. The Egyptian presidential spokesman cited 98 crew, while the Transport Minister said 104.[3] [4] The majority are thought to have been Egyptians working in Saudi Arabia. Passengers also included pilgrims returning from the Hajj in Mecca. The ship was also carrying about 220 vehicles. [5]

No SOS had been heard from the ship and poor weather conditions hampered the search and rescue operation. It is believed that around 390 survivors have been rescued. [6] Over 700 others are missing and feared dead, while 244 have been confirmed dead.

Contents

[edit] The sinking

First reports [7] of statements by survivors indicated that smoke from the engine room was followed by a fire which continued for some time. Other survivors have said the fire was on the car deck [8]. There were also reports of the ship listing soon after leaving port and that after continuing for some hours the list became severe and the ship capsized within 10 minutes as the crew fought the fire. In a BBC radio news broadcast an Egyptian ministerial spokesman said that the fire had started in a storage area, was controlled, but then started again. The ship turned round and as it turned the capsize occurred. The significance of the fire was supported by statements attributed to crew members who were reported to claim that the firefighters essentially sank the ship when sea water they used to battle the fire collected in the hull because drainage pumps were not working[9].

Later the BBC reported [10] that Rani Kamal, the surviving third officer on the ship, told Arabic news channel al-Arabiyya that The ferry sank because of firefighting operations. Water flooded the garage [car deck]... and it pooled on one side. Then the water increased and increased until the ship listed sharply.'

[edit] Weather conditions

The Red Sea is known for its strong winds and tricky local currents. [11] The region had been experiencing high winds and dust storms for several days at the time of the sinking. These winds may have contributed to the disaster and may have complicated rescue efforts.

The closest maritime weather report[12] for 3 February 2006 00:00 UTC was from MV Glasgow Maersk, call sign MZGK7. Reporting from 27.00°N 34.40°E, approximately 150 km north-north-west of the sinking, the container ship shows winds of 24.1 kt (13 m·s-1) from 320 degrees, with a surface pressure of 1005 hPa. Sea temperature was 25 °C and a significant wave height of only 45 cm. Visibility was good (10 km), with 7/8 cloud cover. There was also an active weather front overlying the area[13], clearly visible in METEOSAT imagery[14].

[edit] Possible causes

There have been several theories expressed about possible causes of the sinking. Those that are consistent with the survivors' reports of the sinking are:

  • Fire: The reported accumulation of water on the car deck as a result of the firefighting may have caused or contributed to the capsize, through the free surface effect.
  • Modifications: The ship was reported to have undergone several modifications in 1991, including the addition of two passenger decks, and the widening of cargo decks. This would have reduced the stability of the ship, particularly as its draft was only 5.9 m. Combined with the reported high winds, the tall ship would have been less resistant to being toppled and capsized. However, the modifications included the addition of buoyancy-providing sponsons, to compensate for the additional superstructure[15]. The ship was last tested to SOLAS-90 stability requirements in 2003[16].

[edit] Search and rescue

The reported point where the ship was last observed by coastal radar
Enlarge
The reported point where the ship was last observed by coastal radar

At 23:58 UTC on 2 February 2006 the air-sea rescue control room at RAF Kinloss in Scotland detected an automatic distress signal relayed by satellite from the ship's position. The alert was passed on via France to the Egyptian authorities[17].

On 3 February 2006 some lifeboats and bodies were seen in the water. Reuters reported that "dozens" of bodies were floating in the Red Sea[18].

Rescue boats and helicopters searched the area, including four Egyptian frigates. Britain diverted the warship HMS Bulwark which would have arrived in a day-and-a-half, but reports conflict as to whether or not the ship has been recalled[19], [20]. Israeli sources report that an offer of search and rescue assistance from the Israeli Navy was declined[21]. Egyptian authorities did, however, accept a United States offer of a P-3 Orion maritime naval patrol aircraft after initially having said that the help was not needed[22].

Many survivors reported seeing the captain of the vessel being the first one to leave the ship in a life boat [23]

[edit] Ship history

The vessel was built by the Italian company Italcantieri in 1970 with IMO number 6921282 and named the Boccaccio at Castellammare di Stabia, Italy. It was originally intended for Italian domestic service.[24] Its dimensions included 130.99 m length overall with 23.60 m beam and 5.57 m draft. The main engines are rated at 16 560 kW for a maximum speed of 19 knots. The vessel had an original capacity of 200 automobiles and 500 passengers. Five sister ships were built.

The vessel was rebuilt in 1991 by INMA at La Spezia, maintaining the same outer dimensions albeit with a higher superstructure, changing the draught to 5.90 m. At the same time its automobile capacity was increased to 320 and the passenger capacity was increased to 1,300. The most recent gross registered tonnage was 11,799.

The Boccaccio was purchased in 1999 by El Salam Maritime Transport, headquartered in Cairo, the largest private shipping company in Egypt and the Middle East, and renamed al-Salam Boccaccio 98; the registered owner is Pacific Sunlight Marine Inc. of Panama. She is also referred to as Salam 98.

[edit] Mass protest

On 6 February 2006 a mass protest containing more than a thousand people was led in Safaga by angry relatives who were desperate to find out more information about family members lost aboard the ferry. Some protestors ransacked the office of the ship’s Egyptian owners, throwing chairs and filing cabinets. Riot police fired tear gas to drive away more of the chanting crowd and firefighters were brought in to douse the flames.[25]

[edit] Similar incidents

The sinking of al-Salam Boccaccio 98 is being compared to that of the 1987 M/S Herald of Free Enterprise disaster, which killed 193 passengers off the coast of Belgium, and also to other incidents.

In 1991 another Egyptian ferry, the Salem Express, sunk off the coast of Egypt after hitting a small habili reef. 464 Egyptians lost their lives. The ship is now a landmark shipwreck for SCUBA divers along with the SS Thistlegorm.

In 1994, the M/S Estonia sank, claiming 852 lives.

On 26 September 2002 the MV Joola, a Senegalese government-owned ferry, capsized off the coast of Gambia resulting in the deaths of at least 1,863 people.

On 17 October 2005, the Pride of al-Salam 95, another ship owned by the same company, also sank in the Red Sea, after being struck by the Cypriot-registered cargo ship Jebal Ali. In that accident, two people were killed and another 40 injured, some perhaps during a stampede to leave the sinking ship. After evacuating all the ferry passengers and crew, the Jebal Ali went astern and the Pride of al-Salam 95 sank in about 3½ minutes.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Ferry carrying 1,300 sinks in Red Sea", Reuters, 2006-02-03.
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ [2]
  4. ^ [3]
  5. ^ http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/world/13783093.htm
  6. ^ [4]
  7. ^ "Reports of survivor statements", BBC, 2006-02-04.
  8. ^ "Ferry disaster: Possible causes", BBC, 2006-02-06.
  9. ^ "Report of crew statements", Washington Post, 2006-02-04.
  10. ^ "Ferry disaster: Possible causes", BBC, 2006-02-06.
  11. ^ "Egyptian passenger ship sinks in Red Sea; 20 confirmed dead; 100 survivors rescued", CJAD 800, 2006-02-03.
  12. ^ http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/
  13. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Gfs10.prp.012.tropio.gif
  14. ^ http://oiswww.eumetsat.org/~idds/images/out/SDDI-20060202-2100-BNW-08-IR_108-03-600.jpg
  15. ^ "Design flaws did not lead to ferry tragedy", BYM News, 2006-02-04.
  16. ^ "Sunken ferry complied with international safety regulations; no defect record", BYM News, 2006-02-06.
  17. ^ "Egyptian Ship Sinks At Sea", Sky News, 2006-02-03.
  18. ^ "Ship with 1,400 sinks in Red Sea", CNN, 2006-02-03.
  19. ^ "Dozens of Bodies, Survivors in Red Sea.", New York Times/Associated Press, 2006-02-03.
  20. ^ "Many Dead as Egyptian Ferry Sinks.", BBC, 2006-02-03.
  21. ^ "Egyptian cruise ship sinks in Red Sea", Jerusalem Post, 2006-02-03.
  22. ^ "Dozens of Bodies, Survivors in Red Sea.", New York Times/Associated Press, 2006-02-03.
  23. ^ "Red Sea ferry survivors say captain abandoned them", Reuters, 2006-02-04.
  24. ^ Overview Press Ltd, Ferries 2004 Southern Europe
  25. ^ "Relatives attack sunk ferry firm", BBC, 2006-02-06.

[edit] External links

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