A Hong Kong court has sentenced the captain of a Chinese-registered oil tanker to 14 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to endangering maritime safety. The judge criticized the captain’s delayed response, which led to a fatal collision with a fishing boat, resulting in one death and six rescues from the water.
On November 17, 2024, the tanker was navigating into Hong Kong waters when the captain, Lin Shou-wen, 53, admitted to taking a shortcut and neglecting to assign a lookout due to crew fatigue concerns. Despite being able to see the fishing boats nearby both visually and on radar, Lin only reacted when the fishing boat was approximately 50 meters away. He attempted to signal the fishing crew with a laser pointer but did not slow down or change course in time.
Following the collision, the fishing boat sank, throwing seven individuals into the sea. While six crew members were rescued, the captain of the fishing boat was missing and later found dead nine days afterward. The court highlighted the captain’s failure to follow maritime regulations and noted that he did not sound an alarm until after the incident, although the tanker did assist in the recovery efforts.
