MV al-Salam Boccaccio 98

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M/V al-Salam Boccaccio 98

Shipbuilder:	Italcantieri S.p.A., Monfalcone, Italy
Ordered:	?
Laid down:	22 August 1968 [5]
Launched:	8 June 1969
Delivered:	30 June 1970
Fate:	(Capsized) Sunk on 3 February 2006
General characteristics after rebuild in 1991
Displacement:	11799 gross register tons (GRT) 5555 Net Register Tonnage 2200 metric tons of deadweight (DWT)
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 Ro/Ro Passenger 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 mentioned 1,310 passengers and 105 crew (however, the Egyptian presidential spokesman mentioned 98 crew, while the Transport Minister said 104).^[3]^[4] The majority are thought to have been Egyptians working in Saudi Arabia, but they 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 about 400 people were rescued.^[6]

1 Ship history
2 The sinking
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Ship history

The vessel was built by the Italian company Italcantieri in 1970 with IMO number 6921282 and named the Boccaccio at Monfalcone, Italy for Tirrenia di Navigazione. It was originally intended for Italian domestic service.^[7] 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 1000 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] The sinking

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

First reports^[8] of statements by survivors indicated that smoke from the engine room was followed by a fire which continued for some time. 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]

[edit] Weather conditions

The Red Sea is known for its strong winds and tricky local currents.^[10] 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^[11] 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 ms^-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,^[12] clearly visible in METEOSAT imagery.^[13]

[edit] Possible causes

There have been several theories expressed about possible causes of the sinking.

Fire: Some survivors dragged from the water have reported that there was a large fire on board before the ship sank, and there have been eyewitness accounts of thick black smoke coming from the engine rooms.

Design flaws: The al-Salam Boccaccio 98 was a roll on-roll off (ro-ro) ferry. This is a design that allows vehicles to drive on one end and drive off the other. This means that neither the ship nor any of the vehicles need to turn around at any point. It also means that the cargo hold is one long chamber going through the ship. To enable this to work, the vehicle bay doors must be very near the waterline, so if these are sealed improperly, water may leak through. Even a small amount of water moving about inside can gain momentum and capsize a ship, in a way known as the Free Surface Effect.

Modifications: In the 1980s the ship was reported to have had several modifications, including the addition of two passenger decks, and the widening of cargo decks. This would have made the ship less stable than it was designed to be, particularly as its draught was only 5.9m. Combined with high winds, the tall ship could have been toppled easily.

Vehicle movement: Another theory is that the rolling ship could have caused one or more of the 220 vehicles in its hold to break loose and theoretically be able to puncture a hole in the side of the ship.

[edit] Search and rescue

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.^[14]

On 3 February 2006 some lifeboats and bodies were seen in the water. At least 314 survivors and around 185 dead bodies were recovered. Reuters reported that "dozens" of bodies were floating in the Red Sea.^[15]

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 was recalled.^[16]^[17] Israeli sources report that an offer of search and rescue assistance from the Israeli Navy was declined.^[18] Egyptian authorities accepted a United States offer of a P-3 Orion maritime naval patrol aircraft after initially having said that the help was not needed.^[19]

Many survivors reported seeing the captain of the vessel being the first one to leave the ship in a life boat [AP 2-04-06].

[edit] Similar incidents

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

In 1991 another Egyptian ferry, the Salem Express, sank 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 M/S Joola, a Senegalese government-owned ferry, capsized off the coast of Gambia resulting in the deaths of at least 1,863 people.

The factual accuracy of this section is disputed.
Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page.(March 2008)

On 17 October 2005, the Pride of al Salam 95, a sister ship of the al-Salam Boccaccio 98, 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.