Sharp: My ships are safe

webmaster Main Stories, National

By LESLIE OMARO
PETER Sharp says his ships have neither safety management systems (SMS) or emergency plans in place.
The Rabaul Shipping principal was grilled for more than two hours yesterday by Mal Varitimos, the lawyer assisting the Commission of Inquiry into the sinking of passenger ferry mv Rabaul Queen.
The ferry sank in heavy weather on Feb 2 claiming the lives of over 200 passengers. Only 237 were rescued.
The commission, headed by Justice Warwick Andrew, conducted hearings for a second day at Muruk House in Port Moresby yesterday.
Sharp, resuming his testimony from Wednesday, looked calm and collected as he replied to questions from Varitimos.
He told the hearing that all his vessels, including the ill-fated mv Rabaul Queen, did not need SMS because all his vessels weighed less than 500 gross tonnes.
He also admitted that his ships did not have procedural documents on safety on board because his company “was too big an operation”.
Sharp told the hearing he was satisfied that passenger safety was not compromised when the vessel sailed between Jan 31 and Feb 2.
Vartimos also asked if the safety of the ships was compromised. Sharp replied that ships ran aground in PNG all the time.
The master mariner also produced documents containing information on shipping companies he owned or had  shares in.
The documents revealed his wife and two sons were also shareholders of the company. 
The shipping companies were Auspack, Hamamas Shipping, Rabaul Shipping, Inter Oceania and Gold Kumul Ltd.
Asked if all these companies were in operation, Sharp said Auspack, Inter Oceania and Gold Kumul Ltd had not been operating in the last 10 years.
Sharp had given the commission on Wednesday manifests that revealed that the vessel was carrying 460 passengers and 16 crew members.
Thirteen crew members, including the captain, were among the survivor. Two of the dead crew members were boys who worked in a canteen that was run by the captain.
The third and final hearing in Port Moresby is today before reconvening in Lae next Wednesday.