A boat accident two years ago was recently investigated by Mexican and American officials who found that "negligence" was the cause. The "Erik" had sunk after a storm off the coast of Baja, California, and eight people were killed as a result.
Now, another accident that happened in October of last year is also coming under investigation in Hong Kong. According to the BBC, the crash, which was considered the worse maritime accident in 40 years, was caused when two boats collided off of Lamma Island. One of the boats was a high-speed ferry, Sea Smooth, and the other was pleasure boat Lamma IV. In all, 39 people died, eight of which were children.
"In the process of designing, constructing and surveying the Lamma IV… there was a litany of errors committed at almost every stage by many different people," a report describing the accident said.
The report said that though the Lamma IV had passed all federal safety standards, one of the doors was not watertight, and some of the seats were not properly bolted down. The report concluded that "systemic failings" were the primary cause of the accident.
"We must learn the lesson and spare no efforts in making fundamental improvements and reforms to ensure marine safety and restore public confidence," Hong Kong's chief executive Leung Chun-ying said about the accident.
For boat owners, this example, along with that of the "Erik," show the importance of all boat safety precautions, including investing in marine insurance. Though both of these incidents were seen as uncommon, they also show that there can be no excuse for having strong security when boating.