Lest we forget Rabaul Queen tragedy

THE anniversary of Papua New Guinea’s worst maritime disaster slipped by yesterday.
Except perhaps for family members of loved ones lost in the sinking of mv Rabaul Queen early on that Thursday morning in 2012, the rest of the country would have forgotten the day unless reminded.
On that fateful morning, the Rabaul Queen capsized due to rough conditions in the Solomon Sea.
It was hit by three large waves and about four hours later, it sank about 16km from the Finschhafen coast.
The exact number of people that had perished was difficult to establish because so many things were not done right.
Although the vessel was deemed seaworthy by a recent survey, the commission of inquiry headed by Justice Warwick Andrew found out the crew did no possess the right qualifications to operate a vessel of this size.
Further, the vessel was found to be overloaded, exceeding its capacity of 310 passengers by about 200 more persons.
The manifest was also not an accurate record of how many passengers were on board and who was actually travelling as some of those who had purchased tickets later sold them to other travellers.
The report criticised the shipping company’s policies and the oversight of maritime operation.
Despite recommendations from the International Maritime Organisation regarding safety of life at sea, PNG regulations did not require a safety management plan.
Survivors also testified that life jackets were padlocked in a wire cage or were stored in locked cabinets.
They also cited appalling and inhumane conditions on board the vessel.
It was also noted that the National Maritime Safety Authority showed very poor corporate governance, a high level of incompetence and a history of ineffectiveness.
In all, the commission’s report provided 34 proposals that would promote maritime safety, including new safety regulations, better staffing and equipment for a coordinated rescue centre, and improved weather reliability and reporting for shipping.
The Rabaul Queen incident generated a great deal of local and media coverage.
The commission of inquiry report and the court trial of the vessels owner, now deceased, the boat captain, chief engineer and port manager had ended and records of everything is there for posterity.
However, those who have suffered physically and emotionally or through the loss of a family member or friend have not been properly compensated, and prospects for any such settlement are as yet uncertain.
Ten years after the sinking of Rabaul Queen, what have we learnt and done to improve quality, safety and affordability of coastal shipping?
For the island and coastal people, shipping, for many, remains the only means of travel.
Whether it is a large ferry, a work boat or a dinghy, sea travel remains the only means to get into and out of their villages.
Even to travel long distances such as the open sea between Wewak and Manus, people use dinghies, taking very great risks in doing so.
Air travel is still out of reach for most rural Papua New Guineans so they will still rely on shipping for many years to come.
Coastal shipping needs to be improved and expanded and made safer for convenient passenger travel and to boost trading as well.
May the lessons from the mv Rabaul Queen remain a poignant lesson to everyone involved in sea travel that common sense and following statutory requirements should never be compromised for any reason whatsoever.
When it comes to safety, there is no Papua New Guinean approach but only universal practices that have worked for all who dare to venture out to sea.